Grace Alone
by Googz333
Summary: Finished! Ten years after he received Kimberly's letter, Tommy receives a phone call that rocks his world. How could Kimberly Hart, the girl he fell in love with, be in the custody of the Reefside Police Department? Takes place in 2007, Special Appearance from Criminal Minds characters. T/K
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is a "Letter" story. I know they've been done, but I really wanted to tell a story based on the beauty of unmerited favor and love. There's some pretty rough themes within this story, so you've been forewarned. But they serve the better purpose of showing love and redemption**

 **Also, Morgan is the character Derek Morgan from Criminal Minds. I really tried to come up with my own character, but I just kept injecting his character into him.**

 **Grace Alone - Chapter 1**

*December 1996 – Miami, FL*

"You coming or not?" Abby asked, hanging around the half-opened door. She gazed at her roommate, the famed Angel Grove phenom, Kimberly Hart, who stared intently at a piece of paper. "Earth to Kimberly." The words shook the petite gymnast out of her seemingly hypnotic trance, and she slowly lifted her sad eyes to meet Abby's. "Still trying to write that break-up letter?"

She nodded.

"Look, Kim, you're hot, he's 3000 miles away, and there are tons of guys who you could be with right now. One of which is Brandon, who simply adores you."

"Abby..."

"I'm just saying..."

"Look, I just..." Kim sighed, not really knowing how to continue. "The idea of breaking up with Tommy just doesn't sit right with me."

"Look, I know you love Tommy," Abby replied. "But what you had was a puppy love. But you're in the big leagues now, sister. It's like when you go to college and leave your high school sweetheart. You suddenly realize, 'oh, I liked him when we were in high school, but now I'm in college. I can date college guys.' Better to leave him now then to drag it on." Kim's eyes drifted back to the letter, and then back to Abby.

"No, I think... I think I'm going to sit on it a little bit longer," she replied.

"Fine," Abby said. "You should still come with us. There will be drinking and dancing..."

"Sounds like a fine way to get ourselves into trouble and kicked out of the pan-globals," Kim countered.

"Nobody's going to know," Abby reasoned shallowly. "Besides, the cops in town are trying to protect the athletes, you'll be fine." Kim stared down at the piece of paper, took it, and threw it in the trash.

"Fine, I'll come," Kim acquiesed. "But no matchmaking. I'm Tommy's girl, and I'm not changing that."

"Whatever, girl, get your hottest dress on and meet me outside."

*Reefside, CA – January 2007*

Dr. Thomas Oliver pulled into his driveway on Valencia Drive after a long day of research. He sighed heavily, trying to mentally transition from a hard day of work to an empty home. He walked slowly to the front door as he pulled his keys out from his brown bomber jacket. While it didn't get too cold, the cool night air warranted the extra layer. After he unlocked the door he pulled it open and walked in, sloppily putting his things on the ground and throwing his jacket on the kitchen table, which had also collected the past few days of mail, mostly unopened.

He moved over to the side table where his mini t-rex skeleton resided, and he pulled the jaw down, revealing the staircase that descended underneath his home. He moved slowly down the steps, until at last his feet hit the hard floors of what used to be the command center for the Dinothunder Power Rangers. While Tommy and Hayley had rebuilt the underground lair, it had mostly no traces of its former use. It had been over two years since Tommy had donned the black ranger armor. No, the basement had now become a sanctuary of his past, boxes and files were stacked on the walls, organized by date and events, the computer and desk in the corner the only remnant of his current life that he kept down there.

He scanned the boxes and found one that had certainly been moved before. It wasn't in line with the rest of them. He looked closer to find the date on the box, which read _**'January 1997**_. _ **'**_ He brought the box over with him to his desk, put it down briefly so he could pour himself a small glass of scotch that he kept down there, and he sat down. Taking a small sip of the drink, he opened the box and retrieved the first thing his fingers touched. It was a piece of paper. A letter. He opened it up to read, holding the letter down with one hand, while holding his glass with the other.

 _Dear Tommy,_

 _Everything is going great down here in Florida. Coach Schmidt has me more ready than ever for the competition._

 _Tommy, this is the hardest letter I've ever had to write. You've always been my best friend, and in some ways you're like a brother. But something has happened here that I can't explain. It's both been wonderful and painful at the same time. Tommy, I've met someone else._

 _Tommy, you know I would never do anything to hurt you, but I feel like I've met the person I belong with. He's wonderful, kind, and caring. You'd really like him. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for hurting you. But I have to follow my heart. I will always care about you Tommy._

 _Please forgive me,_

 _Kimberly_

A tear slid down his eye, and he reached back inside the box to find the envelope that the letter came in, postmarked January 8, 1997.

"It's been ten years," he said aloud. "Where are you Kimberly? And what prompted you to write this?" He placed the letter and envelope back in the box, and found reached back in the box to pull out some pictures, and then a small jewelry box. He looked through the pictures, all of them from his relationship with Kimberly. From their early days as friends, to the last few of them before she went to the pan-globals.

He put the pictures down to open the jewelry box. It held the smallest solitaire diamond ring. It was simple, which was to be expected considering he bought it while he was still in high school. He shut his eyes and remembered back to the last time he saw her. After Muiranthias.

 _Tommy saw Kim walk up the stairs of the arena while their martial arts team celebrated. He wanted to go after her, but he knew how it would look, with Kat being there and all. He saw Jason across the way, and he pulled him aside._

" _Can we talk?" He asked. Jason's smile faded. Jason put down the trophy they won, and the pair, dressed in their karate gis walked up the steps toward the outside of the arena together. "Do you know what happened to her?"_

" _No," Jason sighed. "She almost didn't come at all. I always knew something was wrong with that letter, but she hasn't told me a thing."_

" _Doesn't help that an intergalactic space pirate decided to intervene," Tommy interjected._

" _It also doesn't help that she sees you with Katherine," Jason countered. Tommy's face fell, but Jason continued. "Look, I know that's not your fault. She wrote you the letter, and you have every right to move on."_

" _I just wish I knew what really happened, it was so unlike her to do something like this," Tommy commented. "I mean, I tried calling, I wrote a bunch of letters back..."_

" _I know, bro." The pair walked to the outside hoping to find Kim, but she was no where to be found. "I wonder where she could be?"_

That was the last that either of them had seen her. She had appeared happy, or at least, happy as anyone could be while being captured by a space pirate. But since Muiranthias, no one, not even Aisha or Trini had as much spoken with her. It was like she disappeared off the face of the earth.

The ringing of his cell phone shook him out of his thoughts. He picked up the phone, not even checking the number.

"Dr. Oliver speaking," he said. "Yes... yes, Dr. Tom Oliver... what do you mean?" Suddenly his breathing was heavy. "Thank you." He quickly hung up and punched in a different number. "Hayley... I need you to come with me to the police station. It's urgent... yes I know it's getting late... look, Hayley, I know I've leaned on you for a lot, but this might be the time I need you the most! I'll be there in 20 minutes." He quickly grabbed his keys, ran up the stairs, and made a beeline for the driver's side of his jeep. He drove with a fury over to Hayley's apartment, each moment seeming like an eternity.

He pulled into her driveway with a few minutes to spare, and she made her way into the passenger side seat. "It must be urgent if you're five minutes early."

"I don't know what I'm going to do, what I'm going to say..."

"Tommy, slow down," Hayley said. "What's going on? Did the police stumble onto your identity as a power ranger?"

"No, no... it's... I don't know how to explain it," he said while starting to pull back out and make their way to the police station. "I've told you about Kimberly, right?"

"Your first love from high school? No, you've only mentioned her to me about ten thousand times." Hayley was tempted to roll her eyes, but knew better than that seeing the state her long-time friend was in. "I know today is the ten year anniversary of her letter, but..."

"Kim is in custody of the Reefside Police Department," he shared.

"Wait... you haven't seen her in ten years, and she's in our town, and she's locked up?" Tommy nodded. "What's she in for?"

"Drug dealing and prostitution," he said soberly. Hayley, who had always hated the fact that Kim dumped him the way she did, found that she was saddened by the turn of the events. "I just..."

"I know that tone of voice," Hayley interrupted. "You're about to get all guilt-ridden, and that's why you brought me here, so that you wouldn't go down that path. This isn't your fault."

"Isn't it? Maybe I shouldn't have given up so easy."

"Tommy, she didn't want to be found. Sometimes, the people you want to help don't want to be helped." Tommy nodded, but kept silent after that. They arrived to the police station, but before Tommy got out, Hayley grabbed his arm. "You ready for this?"

"I'm not sure I have a choice," Tommy replied. The pair exited the vehicle and walked into the station. One of the officers immediately eyed them and waved them over. He was tall, dark-skinned, and dressed in blue jeans, a v-neck and a bulletproof vest. His head was shaved and had a serious look on his face.

"You must be Tom Oliver?" Tommy extended his hand. "Detective Morgan, Reefside PD. This your wife?"

"No, I'm just a good friend," Hayley replied. "My name is Hayley."

"How did you know I was Tom?" He asked.

"From the picture," Morgan replied, to which Tommy looked even more confused. "Come with me and I'll explain what I can." They walked to the back of the station where they found a private room with a table and four chairs in it. They sat down, and Morgan shared.

"We've picked this girl up three times the past two months. We think she's been coerced by one of the big drug-runners in the state, both as a dealer and as a prostitute. First time we picked her up, we couldn't even identify her. She had no identifying marks, no documentation, and we knew she was working under someone else, so we let her go, trying to see if she'd lead us to her handler. Meanwhile, we sent her picture through the rest of the departments in the state, and after awhile, we tracked down her name. But we couldn't find her parents, family, last known whereabouts. Just her name. So we didn't know who to contact. Until we found this picture in her pocket." He placed the picture in front of Tommy and Hayley, and they were shocked to find that it was a wallet-sized picture of Tommy and Kim from back in high school.

"You found this on her?" Tommy asked. Morgan nodded.

"When we saw this picture, we called the Angel Grove Police Department to see if they knew who you were. And here we are."

"So... why call us in?"

"At this point, Kimberly hasn't told us anything," Morgan shared. "She's been in shock each time she's here. She's malnourished, bruised, and won't talk. But we don't think it's because she doesn't want too."

"Why do you think she won't talk?" Hayley asked.

"Abuse victims often teach themselves that no one will listen, and that it's their own fault. It's possible that she was raped or abused, maybe by a boyfriend or a family member, and that led her down this path. She may be unwilling to give up her pimp if she feels like it would betray him."

"So you're wondering if seeing me might help her feel safe?" Tommy asked.

"That's the theory," Morgan replied. "Do you think you can help us?"

"Look, I can try," Tommy replied. "But I'm not sure she's going to want to talk to me. We used to date, but we've only seen each other once since we broke up, and that was nearly ten years ago."

"Look, if you feel unsafe, or..."

"Trust me, detective, he's not going to feel unsafe," Hayley interjected. The comment earned a stern look from Tommy, and a quizzical one from the detective.

"Maybe I should see her first, like, behind one of those hidden mirrors they have in all the cops shows? This way the shock of seeing her won't be on my face."

"That's not a bad idea," Morgan affirmed. "Come with me." Detective Morgan led them down the corridor and let them into a room next to the interrogation room. As soon as he flicked on the light, Tommy gasped at the sight of his former love. From the other side of the glass, he felt as if the person he saw was some sort of doppelganger, some form of a negative copy of the ex-pink ranger. Her hair was unkempt, her face bruised and her lips cut. While she had always been petite, it was clear that she was incredibly malnourished. She occasionally shook and twitched, and her eyes only focused downward, as if she were too ashamed to look anyone in the eye.

Hayley grasped Tommy's shoulder, giving an assuring squeeze as she looked on at both the prisoner and then to Tommy.

"Are you ready to go in?" Morgan asked. Tommy looked at Hayley for a moment, and then back to Kim, nodding his affirmation to the detective. "Ok... I'll go in first, and then I'll bring you in, ok?"

"Ok," Tommy said weakly. The pair walked out of the room, with Morgan quickly opening the door to the interrogation room. He motioned to Tommy to stay for a moment, and then turned to Kimberly.

"Kimberly, I know you've had a rough go of things, but we found an old friend. Someone that might be able to help you."

"No one can help me," she mumbled, her lip quivering as she tried to get her words out.

"Well, we'll see about that," he replied, motioning Tommy in. He walked into the room, and immediately Kim lost it.

"How... how could you bring him here?" She lunged at the pair, only to be restrained by her chains. "Why would you bring him here! Get me out! Get me out!" Morgan quickly grabbed Tommy and pulled him back behind the glass, while another officer came into help calm her down.

Hayley looked with concern at her long-time friend, who was clearly shaken by the state of his past love.

"What did I do to her..." He mumbled to himself, a tear threatening to fall.

"Most likely, nothing," Officer Morgan replied. "I don't think she reacted like that because you did something to her."

"Did you see how she just responded?" Tommy looked incredulously.

"I did," Morgan replied. "She also had your picture as one of her sole possessions. And it wasn't one of you alone, it was one of the two of you. Happy. If she believed you had done something to her, why would she keep that?" Tommy shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you think maybe she feels ashamed?" Hayley asked.

"Why would she feel ashamed of seeing me?" Tommy asked. The naïve response caused Hayley to roll her eyes.

"Think about it, Tommy," she pleaded. "She's running from something. She's malnourished, she's on drugs, she's a prostitute. And here comes her old flame..."

"She dumped me in the first place, she didn't want me..."

"Maybe not then," Morgan interjected. "But that picture indicates that there's some sort of attachment to you. And I'd bet on what your friend here said. I think she feels a deep level of shame."

"What should I do then?" Tommy asked.

"Well, maybe after she calms down a bit more, maybe you could try going in again and talking with her?" Tommy looked at Morgan intensely after the suggestion. He wasn't sure if he could handle seeing her like this.

He turned towards the one-way mirror to see Kimberly settling down, and his gaze went towards her eyes. He looked into them and saw a different woman than the one he knew ten years ago. Where love, joy, and warmth once resided, fear and shame had now taken control. Her vibrancy replaced by timidity. Her confidence that was so infectious had completely dissipated.

"I'll go in," He said, more of a confirmation to himself, rather than an answer to Morgan. "I'll see if I can help her talk. But I want to go in alone." Morgan nodded.

"Just remember, if you need anything, any support from us, we'll be with you..."

"Trust me, Detective Morgan, I don't really need any help protecting myself from her," Tommy interjected.

"Well, regardless... we're here if you need us." Tommy affirmed the officer with a head nod, and then looked into Hayley's eyes with nervous trepidation. He turned away to walk into the room that the last officer had just left, he crossed the threshold, and readied himself for the most difficult conversation he would ever have.

There was a table that separated the two of them, with a chair on either side. Kimberly sat in the one across from Tommy, and when she saw her ex-boyfriend walk towards her once more, her eyes pierced him with a rage that he had never seen before. Her fists were clenched, and it almost looked like she was biting her tongue, doing whatever she could to restrain whatever she might want to do.

Tommy approached his chair with care, his nerves not going unnoticed by Hayley in the other room. He was shakier than normal, but he was able to find his seat and pull himself towards the cold steel table. "It's..." Tommy started, Kim's eyes darted from looking into his eyes to downward. He remembered what Morgan and Hayley had said, that she probably felt shame.

"It's really good to see you, Kimberly," Tommy said.

"Don't sit here and just patronize me, Tommy," she spat back. "We haven't seen each other for ten years, I look like hell, and I'm bound up in handcuffs at a police station."

"I'd rather see you here than to have never seen you at all," Tommy replied gently.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I've done," Kim said, looking once more at the ground as she said. "I'm not the same Kimberly you dated in high school."

"I'm not the same Tommy, either," he countered. "I'm not sure what you think you did that was so terrible, but we all have pasts. I tried to kill you and our friends, remember?"

Officer Morgan looked over at Hayley behind the mirror, his eyes flashed concern. Hayley put up her hand.

"It's ok, it was a long time ago, and Tommy got the proper help at the time," she explained. Morgan nodded his head and then turned his attention back to the pair in the interrogation room.

"Why are you here?" Kim asked, her tone still hardened.

"I'm here because I got a call that someone I care about is in custody." Tommy gazed into Kim's saddenned eyes. Her gaze met his for the first time, and Tommy felt like he could see something he hadn't seen prior. A spark. A glimmer of hope. But it faded quickly.

"You need to leave," Kimberly said suddenly. Tommy refused to move, and when a few moments went by, she said it again and again.

"I'm not leaving without answers," Tommy spoke softly. However, the words triggered in Kim a reaction that he didn't expect. She shot up out of her chair, attempting to lunge over the table to grab Tommy, only to be restrained by her chains once more. She screamed and snarled, cursing him for being in her prescence. Tommy felt his arm being tugged, and he found himself resisting officer Morgan, who was trying to bring him back out of the room. At first he resisted, but Morgan finally was able to drag him back into the room behind the mirror.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tommy asked, after they shut the door. "I had her talking, I could have gotten things back on track."

"We'll send you back in when she calms down a bit," Morgan replied.

"But I could have kept going, I had so much more to say..."

"Look, this is the most she's spoken in the times that we've had her here," Morgan replied. "She's getting used to seeing a face that she hasn't seen in a while. Shame is certainly at play. But you're right that she's starting to open up. It's just going to take time. The last thing we need is for her to do something that would get her into more trouble."

"What do you mean?" Hayley asked.

"Well, because of her record, another offense would just make it more difficult to actually move on her handlers. We're all ready talking about a lot of jail time, and while she deserves it, it'd be nice if we actually were able to catch the guys who have been putting her up to this." Hayley furrowed her brow at the officer's explanation.

"Do you think she'd lead you to them if you released her?"

"Not likely," he confessed. "We've dropped charges before, in hopes we could follow her to him, but she never goes back straight to him first. She waits and tries to get clean. But then after a while she shows back up here, without us ever knowing how she went from trying really hard to get back into the world, to the state she's in now." Tommy sat down and rubbed his head, frustrated that he didn't know what to do.

"I think I have an idea," Hayley replied. "What if you could put her under house arrest in my home?"

"What?!" Tommy shot up out of his seat.

"I'm not sure we could do that..."

"Why not?" Hayley challenged.

"There's a lot of paper work and policy that go into that," Morgan shared. "She's not convicted of the crimes..."

"What about witness protection?" Hayley replied.

"We could only do that if she actually gave us something."

"Give us a few weeks," Hayley reasoned. "If she's around friends, maybe it would loosen her up... help her be willing to open up more."

"What if she leaves?" Tommy asked. "There's no way to keep her there."

"Well, if she leaves, she's bound to end up back here," Hayley replied. "But I highly doubt that she would leave. She would have a home, food to eat, money in her pocket..."

"Uhh... you don't have a lot of money, Hayley," Tommy leveled.

"But you do," She shot back.

"Can you give us a moment?" Tommy asked Officer Morgan. He nodded and stepped out, leaving the pair alone. "What are you doing?"

"Do you want to help Kimberly or not?"

"I fail to see how this would help her," Tommy replied. "You've never met her, and the only friend she has is me, and she gets really upset at the sight of me."

"What if we could change her perception of reality?" Hayley pleaded. "What if we could help her see that she isn't a burden? That she doesn't have to be ashamed?"

"How could we do that?" Tommy reasoned. "Her past is littered with things that bring shame, just how exactly do you just get rid of it?"

"I don't think we just 'get rid of it,'" Hayley remarked, using her fingers to make air quotes. "But I wonder if having her live as a friend, a roommate, rather than as a convict and ex-junkie, would help her. She's lived so long ashamed of the life she's led, wondering what you would think of her. What if all she saw was how proud and supportive you were?" Tommy mulled over her friend's thought for a moment. He looked once more at the young, emaciated woman that once was his girlfriend, and furrowed his brow.

"We can do this," Tommy muttered. "But before we do... why? Why do you want to help Kimberly?"

"Well, it wouldn't be wise to have her live with you, considering her outbursts..."

"I mean, why do you want to help _**her**_ ," Tommy interjected. "You've routinely told me how much you hated her for what she did to me. Why the change of heart? Why house her?"

"Seeing someone suffer changes your perspective," Hayley replied. She peered through the window and, for a moment, Tommy could see a tear drop from Hayley's eye. "It reminds me that she has a story, and this easily could have been my story."

"What do you mean?"

"We should get Officer Morgan back in here," Hayley quickly changed the topic. "You're good with this plan, right?"

"As long as you are," Tommy replied. They brought Morgan back in and discussed their plan, and within a few hours they were able to get paperwork drawn up to release Kimberly into a protective custody of sorts. She got changed and met Officer Morgan, Hayley, and Tommy outside.

"Kimberly, this is Hayley Ziktor," Morgan replied. "She's going to house you for the next few weeks. You'll be wearing an ankle monitor, it will track where you go, and it will notify us if you break your mandated curfew. If you think of anything you want to tell us, please call me on my cell. Here's my card." Morgan handed her his business card, and she looked it over for a moment, and then quickly slid it in her jean pocket.

"Kim," Tommy's gentle voice broke Kim out of her seeming hypnotic trance, her eyes becoming glued to his. "Hayley is a dear friend of mine. She's going to take good care of you. If it's okay with you, I'll visit tomorrow and we can talk through any details you'd like, does that sound okay?" She nodded her head with little vigor.

After a few more details, they walked out of the station, got into Tommy's car so he could drop them off at Hayley's apartment. Little did they know, they were being watched by a broad-shouldered, spiky-haired man. He smirked, and then pulled out his cell phone.

"Boss... we may have a problem."

 _To be continued..._

 _Thanks for reading! As always, feedback is appreciated!_

 _\- Googz333_


	2. Chapter 2

**Grace Alone - Chapter 2**

Kimberly awoke suddenly, but for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel fear to move quickly. Sunlight peered through the blinds in her room, and the bed she slept on was much softer than she was used to. The pillow she rested her head on was actually soothing, and the pleasant smell of a cleaned room, accented with an air freshener was a welcome experience.

The smell was interrupted, however, by something she hadn't had in a long time. Fresh bacon and eggs. Not only could she smell them, she could hear the slight sizzles from down the hall. She finally found the will, and the strength, to make her way out of bed, grabbed a set of clothes that were laid out for her presumably by Hayley, and made her way out into the hallway. She opened the door, the light hitting her for the first time, and she gasped. She quickly looked down to find that she was only wearing a tanktop and underwear, and she quickly found the hall bathroom and ran to it and shut the door behind her.

She quickly got her clothes on, the same jeans and over-sized gray shirt from the day before, and then looked in the mirror. Her hair was wild, the dirt on her face noticeable, her eyes tired. If she had the strength, she would have cried right there and then, but she felt almost no strength left. She noticed on the sink a twenty-dollar bill, and quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into her small pocket, she ran her hand through her hair a couple times, and then sheepishly made her way out to the kitchen.

There she found Hayley cooking a massive spread of food. Not only was it bacon and eggs, but there was fresh coffee, pancakes, along with a large bowl of blueberries and strawberries.

"Tommy said that you loved breakfast," Hayley replied, her back still turned to Kim. "I hope this will do, I don't typically make breakfast here." She turned to her new roommate and gave a quick smile. "I own a cyber cafe in downtown Reefside, so if I do any cooking, it's typically there. Here, it's mostly tv dinners and frozen pizza.

"Oh, this is the first home-cooked meal I've had in quite some time," Kim replied faintly.

"Well, grab a plate and dig in," Hayley replied. Kim obliged, grabbed a plate, and started shovelling food onto her plate. After grabbing what felt like a mountain of food onto her plate, she began to chow down. She shovelled food into her mouth for a good five minutes without taking a break, and then she sat back and let out a loud belch, only to look embarrassed. Hayley looked at her with a small grin.

"I'm sorry," Kim said sheepishly.

"Don't be," Hayley said. "You look like you haven't eaten well in ages."

"I haven't," Kim replied. She picked more at her food, but her countenance began to fall. Hayley could see it in her eyes.

"Is everything ok?" Hayley asked.

"So... who exactly are you? Are you Tommy's girlfriend?" The question illicited a laugh from the red-head.

"That man is a lot of things to me, but boyfriend will never be one of them," she grinned.

"Oh," she replied. "How do you know him?"

"We met in college," Hayley answered. "He was a poor lost soul in need of some homework help. What followed was a deep friendship. We helped each other through some tough times. And then, as fate would have it, he let me in on your little secret."

"What secret?" Hayley smirked at Kim's question.

"That you and him were once the mighiest fighting force against evil that the world had ever seen," she replied.

"Look, that isn't..."

"It is true, and I know because I helped him form a new team of rangers. And our yellow ranger, Kira, followed in your footsteps. Power of the Pteradactyl. You would have been proud of her." Kim picked at her food as Hayley spoke. She sat silently for a moment, continuing to poke at her pancakes, when a knock at the door startled her out of her trance. Hayley opened the door to find Tommy, who briefly greeted each other.

Kim stared down at the floor, feeling her ex-boyfriend's gaze upon her. "Hey Kimberly." His voice was warm and pleasant, and yet she felt rigid at the sound of it.

"Hi," she stammered.

"I thought we could go and get you some new clothes, get a tour of the city..."

"I kind of know my way around Reefside," she replied sheepishly.

"Well, maybe I can show you places you haven't seen yet," he smiled. "Finish your breakfast, and we'll go."

"No offense, Tommy, but I don't exactly have any money," Kim replied, her voice beginning to find an edge to it.

"I've got you covered, Kimberly."

"No." She got up and ran quickly to the back where she had slept, and came back out with a small backpack that her few belongings were kept in. "I don't need your charity, Tommy." She glanced at Hayley briefly. "Thank you for your kindness, Hayley. But I don't need your help. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"By selling drugs and whoring yourself?" Tommy replied. He regretted the words as soon as he said them, but they cut Kimberly to the heart. Her eyes went wide, and a rage overflowed, one that he had never seen before.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She shot back. "Don't you dare! You don't get to judge me, _**Dr. Oliver.**_ You have no idea what I've been through, what I've had to do to survive."

"Kimberly, I'm sorry," Tommy pleaded, but she stormed out before he could say anything else. Tommy went to go after her, but Hayley stopped him.

"Let her go," She replied.

"What?" He asked. "Why?"

"Because sometimes, it takes a while for someone to forget they aren't an orphan anymore."

"Orphan?" Hayley sat down on her couch and motioned Tommy to come sit next to her.

"I remember when you shared with me how you flipped out at your parents when you found out you were adopted. It was all ready the worst time of your life, Kim breaking up with you and all. What stood out the most, though, was when you told me how you know longer felt like their son."

"Well, yeah... I was afraid that they would stop being my parents."

"But why?" She asked him.

"Because, if they weren't my biological parents, they could leave at anytime."

"But they never did, did they?"

"No," he replied. "They reassured me all the more that they weren't going anywhere."

"They wanted you to know that, even though you were an orphan once, you were no longer one. They chose you to be their son, despite the ups and downs, the highs and lows, move after move. They supported you, they loved you, and yet one revelation challenged that whole notion, and you went back to a season of orphan living."

"Well... I mean, we worked through it though."

"Tommy... Kim has had however many years to try and work through this on her own. She's convinced herself that she is unworthy of your love. Of anyone's love for that matter. I'd bet she's even convinced that Zordon was wrong to give her the pink ranger powers."

"What do we do?" Tommy asked.

"We love her as family... even when she refuses to believe she's part of it."

After a few hours, Tommy left and went back to his home. He took off his shoes and poured himself a glass of water and reclined in his sofa for about fifteen minutes, until he heard a knock on the door. He got up to see who it was, and when he opened the door he was surprised to see Kim standing on the other side of it.

"Hey," he said warmly.

"Can I come in?" She asked.

"Kimberly, you are always welcome here."

"Even though I sell drugs and am a 'whore'?" she replied, but seemingly without animosity.

"Kim, you could commit the worst crime, and I would welcome you in." He opened the door further for her, and she made her way in. He showed her to the living room and offered her a glass of water, which she graciously accepted. "How did you get here?"

"I walked," Kim replied flatly.

"You walked? That's like a ten mile hike from downtown. Why not just go back to Hayley's?"

"I figured if you guys weren't seeing each other, then you would be back here by now." She looked around his home, gazing at the photos on his wall. "I'm not going to lie, this is not the house I would have assumed you would own. Though, being in the woods with no one around, that makes sense."

"You did use to make fun of me for being a recluse," he quipped.

"You loved being in your Uncle's cabin," she replied. "It always made us worried when you went up there."

"Why?" He asked.

"It seemed like you went there whenever anything bad happened to you," she explained, continuing to pore over the pictures on the wall. "I guess, I was scared that you hid yourself from your friends."

"I hid because I didn't want to be a burden to you all," Tommy replied. "I thought that if you all knew the grief I felt, you wouldn't want me around any more."

"Tommy... how could you think that?" Kim asked.

"Why do you cower around me now?" Tommy asked gently in return. Kim's posture quickly shifted, her eyes darted downward. "Would you sit with me, here?" He directed her to a large sofa, and she begrudingly sat with him. "A friend of mine recently reminded me of a piece of history that might be helpful here. Something you don't know about me." Kim looked at him as if she were bracing herself for the worst news imaginable.

"Look... Tommy... whatever you've done, it can't compare with..."

"It's not something I've done," he interrupted, gently grasping her shoulder with his hand. "It's who I was. I wasn't always an Oliver."

"What?" She gasped.

"My parents aren't my biological family," he explained. "Soon after I got your letter, I found out that my parents had adopted me. I had one biologically related brother out on an indian reservation, his name is David. And in the midst of all the craziness, I started believing this absurd lie." He paused intentionally, hoping Kimberly was tracking with him.

"What lie was that?"

"That I was no longer an Oliver," he confessed. "That really, I didn't belong to anyone. I had lost you, and I thought I lost my family too. So, I started treating my parents really badly. I cussed at them, I started missing curfew, and I still remember this one night I snuck into a college party over at Angel Grove University. It was the only time I ever got drunk... heck it was the only time I drank underage, period. And of course, the cops showed up, and I was booked for it. My parents had to come and pick me up."

"I can't believe it..." she spoke faintly. "You, the great Tommy Oliver, got drunk at a party."

"I'm not the great Tommy Oliver," he replied. "But I am an Oliver. That was the lesson I got that night."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents... they picked me up, paid the fine I owed, and as we drove home, I finally told them that I knew I was adopted. I remember telling them that if they wanted to drop me off at a local orphanage I would understand. I mean, who would want someone like me, causing them trouble." A tear threatened to fall from his eye as he continued. "I still remember my Dad stopping the car, with tears in his eyes. He turned around and looked at me, and he said:

" _ **Don't you ever dare think you can keep us from loving you. You are our son, and there's nothing you can do about that."**_

The tear finally fell from Tommy's face, leaving a small trail down to his chin. Then, he looked intently into Kimberly's eyes.

"I'm not your boyfriend anymore, but I will never stop caring about you. Don't you ever dare think you can keep me from that. You are my first love, and there's nothing you can do about that." It was Kimberly's turn to have a tear run down her face. She looked away for a moment, her frame trembled. She cleared her throat to respond, when they heard a car door open and close from outside.

"Were you expecting someone?" Kim asked.

"No..." Tommy was interrupted by a knock at the door. He was puzzled, and rose to greet whoever was at the door. But before he could do anything, a gunshot pierced the door, whizzing past him and hitting the back of the room. He rushed back to the living room and grabbed Kim. "I was really hoping to give more explanation for this." He went to the side table and pulled the lower jaw of the t-rex skeleton, which gave way to a secret passage in the floor. As they heard another gunshot, along with the door opening, they quickly made their way down to the basement, the entryway closing as soon as they made their way downstairs.

Stepping into the newly vacated room were three armed men. Two of them were younger men, both stood over six feet tall, young, and were well built physically. The other was shorter, a little gray in his hair, and wore sunglasses in the home.

"Search the house," the shorter man replied. "If they aren't here, we'll set up a perimeter. They couldn't have gotten far."

"Sir," The one henchman spoke. "Do we need to find out if she's said anything..."

"Yes," he replied. "We need to find out who knows what. If we're lucky, she hasn't told anyone, and we can limit the casualties to just her and these two good samaritans."

Down below, Tommy and Kim observed their conversation through a hidden camera and microphone hidden in the room.

"We need to call Agent Morgan and get him over to Hayley's place," Tommy said.

"What about us?" Kim asked.

"They aren't getting in here," Tommy replied confidently.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"Because we made this place inpenetrable. After all, it was the home base of the Dinothunder Power Rangers."

 _ **To be continued...**_

 _ **Thanks for reading! As always, feedback is always appreciated**_

 _ **\- Googz333**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Grace Alone - Chapter 3**

A few hours later Tommy saw that the coast was clear, so he and Kimberly made their way above ground. Hayley met them there, along with Officer Morgan and a few others from the Reefside Police Department. While a few of the officers canvased the area, Morgan stayed behind with the trio to ask questions.

"Based on the ammunition and the forced entry, these guys were pros. Highly trained. You guys are lucky to be alive."

"Did anyone come after you?" Tommy asked Hayley, who shook her head.

"No one, but I left right when you told me too," she shared.

"How did you know they would go after Hayley?" Morgan asked.

"They said they would," he replied. "We saw and heard them through a video feed."

"You saw them?" Morgan asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Tommy replied.

"I need to see this tape..."

"Look, Officer Morgan, I can get it to you, but I'll need to do a few things..."

"You need to show me that video, right now," Morgan demanded. Tommy looked sheepish, as did Kimberly. "What are you hiding?"

"Look, Officer Morgan, we can bring you downstairs and show you the tape, but it can only be you," Tommy replied. "No one else can come down here, and you can't tell anyone else what you see."

"I can't make a promise like that," Morgan replied sharply.

"You can after we explain," Tommy shared. He walked to the side table that the t-rex rested on, and, like before, pulled the lower jaw to reveal the secret passageway. "After you."

Morgan instructed his men to continue looking throughout the wooded area via his handheld radio, buying Tommy time to explain what was going on. They made their way downstairs, and Tommy turned on the lights to reveal the refurbished command center. Morgan took a moment to take everything in, and then realized why he wouldn't say anything to anyone else. In the corner of the room rested five suits on manequins. He recognized them immediately, they were of the power rangers that once protected Reefside.

"So there's a lot more to you than meets the eye, isn't there Dr. Oliver?"

"I was the mentor of the power rangers here in Reefside," he replied.

"Just the mentor?" Hayley prodded.

"And the black ranger," He added.

"You were the black one?" Kim asked. "You stole Zack and Adam's color?"

"First of all, Adam stole mine when he became the green ranger..."

"Wait wait wait..." Morgan interrupted. "How far back does this all go?"

"Kimberly," Tommy replied, pointing a finger at her. "It goes back to Kimberly. Nearly 14 years ago, a space witch named Rita Repulsa escaped from an intergalactic prison, which forced the being Zordon to choose five teenagers to become the mightiest force the world had ever seen. Kimberly was one of those five. Soon after, Rita tried to defeat the rangers by creating her own evil ranger. That was me. Kim and her friends freed me from Rita's evil spell, and I joined the team. Fast forward a decade, after I had left the ranger business, but had found dino gems that possessed a power unknown to us. After Mesogog threatened Reefside, I designed ranger powers, and soon became the black ranger."

"You guys were both power rangers," Morgan said aloud. "And what were you?" He asked, pointing to Hayley. "Yellow ranger?"

"Me, oh no, I'm not a fighter. Just a brain."

"Now, I'm pleading with you, please keep this a secret," Tommy replied.

"I'll do everything I can," Morgan said. "But I need that tape." Tommy walked over to the computer screen on the back wall, and sat down at the desk in front of it. He started typing and clicking, in the process grabbing a flash drive and plugging it into one of the USB ports in the computer tower. After a few seconds it beeped, and he took it out.

"Everything you need should be on this," he handed the drive to Morgan.

"Thanks, Tommy. Now, we are going to have to put you in protective custody..."

"No..." Kim replied softly. "Look... I don't mean to be difficult, but I don't want to have to be moved from place to place."

"Ms. Hart, I hate to break it to you, but we don't exactly have too many options," Morgan retorted. "I'm still waiting on information, remember? You want to tell me why these guys would want you dead?"

"Because I'm a threat to the head of their crime ring," Kim retorted.

"Who is it?" Tommy asked.

After a long pause, Kim disclosed her secret. "Sebastian Schmidt."

"Schmidt?" Tommy asked. "Wasn't that the last name of your..."

"Gymnastics coach," she finished the sentence. "Yeah... Sebastian is his son."

"Wait, Sebastian isn't some low-level player," Morgan added. "We've had him on our watch list for a long time."

"He should be," Kim added. "You don't deal with the mob or the triad unless you know what your getting into. He didn't only deal with them, he practically owned them."

"That explains the professional hit," Morgan replied. "Look... we really need to get you protection..."

"What if we went somewhere else?" Tommy asked. "Got out of town for a while."

"I would imagine that someone of Sebastian's stature would be able to keep his eyes out for you," Morgan replied.

"That's okay," Tommy replied. "I know a place where we could be protected, and a place that would feel like home as well."

"Where's that?" Kim asked, her lip quivering.

"Where our story began," Tommy replied.

"Angel Grove," Morgan replied. Tommy nodded, a slight grin coming to his face. "I'll have to notify my superiors..."

"You're coming with us?" Kim asked.

"Look, I get that you and Doc Ock are former superheroes, but I can't let you guys go without supervision. If this involves one of our top targets, then folks back at the station will understand."

"Thanks Officer Morgan," Tommy replied.

"Please... call me Derek." He walked upstairs and made a few calls. While he did that, Tommy and Hayley rounded up as many things as they could and packed them into two unmarked vehicles that were brought over from the station. Derek dismissed the rest of his squad after giving them a few orders, not disclosing where they were headed. Then they made the trek to out of Reefside. Hayley rode with Morgan, while Kim rode with Tommy.

"Sorry I dragged you into this, Tommy," Kim mentioned. Tommy noted that her voice sounded tired, which would make sense. It had been an eventful day, and adrenaline was probably wearing off at this point.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Kimberly," Tommy replied.

"Yes... yes I do." Silence reigned for what felt like an eternity. She watched the road, the lines blurring together, much like the past ten years for her. "I appreciate what you tried to do back there... your orphan story. Trying to show that we're the same. But Tommy, you have always been the white knight, riding on a white horse to come to my aid..."

"Pretty sure you mean a white tiger..."

"You know what I mean," she snapped, the tone in her voice signaling to Tommy that this was not the time to joke.

"Sorry... I..."

"It's ok," she replied, her voice shaky. "When I went to Florida, I never fathomed that I would break up with you. You were the reason why I went down there. You believed in me, and in us. I thought it would be enough to get through."

"What happened?" Tommy asked gently.

"There was a party over at the University of Miami that everybody wanted to go to. At the time, there was a guy that showed me a lot of attention. His name was Brandon. I was sad that we didn't get to talk as much, seeing as at the time you guys were taking on the Machine Empire and dealing with Billy having to go to outer space. So I was sad, and my roommate Abby convinced me to go out." She paused for a moment, looked over at Tommy, who she could tell wanted to look at her but knew better, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Abby wasn't exactly the greatest influence on me," she admitted. "It was her idea for me to write you that letter in the first place. She was on me all the time to break up with you and date around. I guess she just started to wear on me. So I had something written down, but I never intended to send it to you. I just wanted her to shut up. It got worse though."

"How?"

"Well, we met Brandon at this party. We drank, we danced, but I was naïve. I... well, don't remember anything from that night after about 9:15 PM. I woke up tied to a bed bruised and cut up. Two of my teeth were chipped, my nose was broken, an eye was swollen shut."

"You were rufied," Tommy replied.

"I'm not sure who actually planted the drug, but Brandon was behind it. He and two other guys... they..." she paused for a moment, reliving once more the truth she had carried for so long. "...gang-raped me. One of them was Sebastian."

"Kim... I'm so sorry," Tommy shared, at that point feeling like he had been punched in the gut.

"I wish I could end there, but it gets worse," Kim replied. "Gunther was a good man, but he was also pretty aloof about his own children. He never knew what his son was doing, and he believed that his son was always the model citizen. So, he threatened that if I took any of this to his Dad, the police, anything..." A tear welled up in her eye, she began to sniffle, words became harder to say.

"He would make sure to silence you," he finished.

"I covered for them. I figured I could live in silence, but then he summoned me once more. It was in the middle of the night, and I walked down to what I now know was his base of operations. It was relatively small ten years ago, but he had started a drug ring and prostitution with athletes at the pan-globals as well as at the University of Miami. He was making a fortune off of it. And he asked if I would play along, keep this little secret, and be one of his escorts. He said that I 'passed my audition.'"

Tommy gripped the wheel hard, his anger boiling as he gripped it. He knew that, if he was all ready angry, he needed to prepare himself for what Kim had next to share.

"I refused, initially. I had my purity taken away from me, but I refused to let it brand me, you know? But he brought Abby out in front of me. They had tortured her. And then he murdered her right in front of me."

"That's when the letter came," Tommy realized.

"I knew that if he was willing to kill, then none of my family and friends were safe. I was so afraid when Jason practically kidnapped me and brought me to Angel Grove so we could surprise you all..."

"I'm sorry that we didn't know," Tommy replied.

"You couldn't have. That's the point. I pushed you all away so you wouldn't get hurt." She paused once more and collected herself, and then continued to explain. "When I got back from Angel Grove, I found out that Gunther had died. He left a majority of what he had to Sebastian, and that's when he was able to expand the operation. My role shifted week to week. Some days I dealt, others I was a hooker on the corner. I've had sex with more guys than I'd care to count, sold more drugs than I'd ever thought I would see."

"And no one ever was able to help you?"

"You ever hear of Nevin Shapiro?" Tommy shook his head. "Up until recently, the Miami Hurricane football players were being given prostitutes for a 'good time.' Shapiro was a high-profile client of Sebastian's, and he 'took care' of his guys. And it happens at almost every school, and the NCAA is too slow to get to the top of the ring. And when the NCAA and FBI finally started sniffing our direction, we moved out here. More liberal, more colleges, more moral flexibility."

"Goodness..."

"The worst part of it is the monster I've become," she confessed. "To survive, I had to learn to enjoy those men. I had to learn to enjoy the thrill of not getting caught. Tommy... I'm not the same Kimberly you fell in love with. I'm not a superhero, I'm not a good girl. I'm a whore, a drug dealer, a thief, and I deserve to be locked up. Least of all, I don't deserve your care or friendship."

"No offense Kimberly, but you're full of it," Tommy shot back. "You made choices, yeah. And you'll need to own them. But some of those choices were impossible ones to make."

"Tommy, I'm irredeemable! What don't you understand about that?"

"Is that you talking, or Sebastian?" He countered. The words sunk deep into Kimberly's soul, Tommy could tell as she was visibly taken aback by them. "Look... yeah, you lost your purity. You lost a lot of things. You also had things taken from you. But one of the things you can't have taken from you is my care for you. So don't you dare try to convince me that you aren't worthy. It's not about that."

"Then what's it about?" Kim asked.

"It's about caring for someone because you want too." Kimberly pondered this statement a while before she dared speak again. She closed her eyes and considered the grace that one could have, to hear things done to her, as well as the things that she had done, to still care. Before she could respond, Tommy intterupted her thoughts. "Kimberly, I would die for you. And I will if I need to."

"Why? All I've done is bring you pain."

"That's not true," Tommy replied. "It's true that you have caused me pain. But to bring me pain would have to mean that you mean something to me. Someone I don't care about can't really harm me. But _**you**_ mean the world to me."

"After all this time?" Kim asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice. "After all I've done?" Tommy nodded to confirm what he had said. His nod gave way to a long silence, but it wasn't long until they started to slow down.

"We're here," he added, they pulled into a parking lot and got out of the car. Kimberly looked across the way, and saw they were at a karate school.

"Red Dragon Karate?" Kim asked. Derek and Hayley got out of the other car, and emptied it of their belongings, which just had a couple of bags, and they joined Tommy and Kimberly outside the front door of the dojo.

"You sure this friend of yours will be ok with you dropping by?" Derek asked.

"Trust me, they'd be ticked if we didn't," Tommy smiled. He gave a knock on the massive double doors, and they waited a while until they heard footsteps from the other side. The door swung open to reveal an old friend.

"Hey Jason," Tommy said.

"Come on in," he whispered, waving them in. He led them down to the lower level, which was where his apartment was. They opened the door to find Katherine, who was sitting on the couch in her pink pajamas.

"It's good to see you all," she said, a genuine warmth came from her voice. However, seeing her made Kimberly want to scream. However, before she could process the information, her small frame was enveloped by the other resident.

"I missed you so much, Kimmie!" Jason shouted. "We looked everywhere for you."

"You did?" She stammered.

"Of course we did, I'm so glad they found you," Jason replied. "Hayley, good to know that you're still keeping Tommy in line." He gave her a hug.

"You gave me an important job, and since you're here..."

"You realize I can hear you, right?" Tommy quipped.

"You'll get over it," Jason joked. "Hi, I'm Jason Scott, and that's my wife Katherine," he said pointing to the gorgeous blonde. He extended his hand to the muscular, dark-skinned officer.

"Officer Derek Morgan of Reefside PD."

"Oh man, I've heard a lot about you, Morgan," Jason replied. "Heard you're one of the best they've got over in your neck of the woods. Even heard the FBI has come calling a few times."

"Some weird guy from the Behavior Analysis Unit keeps calling... how do you know that?"

"I'm a lieutenant here in Angel Grove. The dojo is just a side hobby."

"Gotcha," Morgan smiled. "Well, thanks for your help. Typically I don't approve of people assigning their own protection, but, this is a nice surprise."

"Look, Tommy gave us a brief run down of what's going on, but we're going to need some help identifying these guys. Any thoughts on how to catch them?"

"I think most of our intel at this point will come from Ms. Hart," Morgan gestured over to the petite gymnast. Jason looked over at his dear friend and saw the exhaustion in her eyes. His face fell, seeing just how run down his once vivacious friend had become.

"Look, how about we run through everything in the morning," Jason said. "I can bring Kimberly to the station, and we can set up a few more protections, though I think you'll find that this place is more than secure."

"You sure about that?" Morgan asked.

"We've got security alarms and surveillance cameras, and I have access to them through the computer," Jason replied. "When you're a lieutenant for a police department, you make enemies. It's good to have all your ducks in a row."

"Well then, let's get some shut-eye then," Tommy replied.

The group settled in, Kim and Hayley got the guest bedroom, while Tommy and Officer Morgan took the couches in the living room. Jason stayed up with the pair in the living room while the ladies slept.

"So what happened to her?" Jason asked, concern laced through his voice. "I've never seen her so beaten down."

"Remember how I said on the phone that she had been working with Schmidt?" Tommy asked, to which Jason nodded. "It all started ten years ago, while she was in Florida. She was date raped, and then coerced into some pretty deep stuff."

"Sebastian Schmidt would get you there, that's for sure," Jason replied wistfully. "So, she's been working for him for ten years?" Tommy nodded. "I don't understand... why didn't she ever tell one of us?"

"She was threatened, for one," Tommy shared.

"But... I mean, she knows all of us could take them down, right?" Jason asked. "I mean the network of..." Jason cut himself off, realizing he shouldn't say anything in front of Morgan.

"Rangers?" Morgan asked. Jason's alarmed expression was met with a wide grin. "Don't worry, I figured it out pretty quickly when I had to peruse Tommy's command center for video on their assailants."

"I was going to say..." Jason replied with a small look of relief.

"Look, I know you're a bit bewildered as to why Kim would leave you in the dark, but you have to realize, she's been through hell. And when you are abused, raped... it's hard to bring it to the surface. And every despicable act she's done since then has reinforced this view of herself."

"What view?" Jason asked.

"That she's broken, worthless, and..."

"Irredeemable," Tommy interjected. "That's what she said to me on the drive down."

"Why go to your friends, if you think it's your fault in the first place?" Morgan posed to them. "It's my fault that I keep letting people use my body. It's my fault that I'm used to sell drugs. Or, at worst, it's my fault that my friends die."

"How do we help her?" Tommy asked.

"Keep showing her that her brokenness isn't a deterrent. That she's valuable, even when you've seen her at her worst. That there's a way for redemption."

 **To be continued...**

 **Thanks for reading, as always, feedback/reviews are always appreciated!**

 **\- Googz333**


	4. Chapter 4

**Grace Alone - Chapter 4**

*Palo Alto, CA*

The redwood forests were a beautiful sight to behold, as a family strolled through the towering trees, marveling at their sheer size. The man was well dressed, at least for a man walking through the woods. He wore a polo with pressed khaki shorts, his longish dirty blonde hair had a bit of product to help tame his locks. His wife strolled alongside with long flowing dark hair, she wore a sun dress and large hat. Their daughter couldn't have been more than six months old, as she slept peacefully in the stroller. They couple laughed together as they walked, as if nothing was wrong in the world.

A ring-tone changed all that. The man grabbed his phone from his pocket and noted the number on the screen.

"I need to take this," he said to his wife, with a slight german accent. "I'm going to find a place with better service, ok?"

"Of course, my love," the elegant lady replied. "But don't be gone long, we need to get pictures of our family here before we leave."

"Of course," he smiled faintly, and then headed out towards the exit of the forest and answering the phone.

"Is the deed done?" The slick-dressed man asked over the phone.

"There's been a complication," the man said on the other line. "We thought we had locked down all the roads, but somehow Kimberly escaped."

"You let her escape?!" the man raged.

"Sebastian, I'm sorry," the accomplice continued. "But we think we have a good idea where they are headed."

"Where?" Sebastian asked.

"Angel Grove."

"Are you sure they would go there?"

"We intercepted a call from Thomas Oliver indicating as much," the accomplice explained. "We didn't get a full trace, and we don't know who the call was to, but we did hear him utter those words."

"Find them," Sebastian ordered. "Kill whoever knows about her, and bring Kimberly to me."

"Yes sir."

*Red Dragon Karate – Angel Grove*

Kimberly awoke early, before the sun had risen. She got out of bed quietly, as not to wake Hayley, and then made her way into the main living space. She saw Tommy and Officer Morgan asleep on the couches, and decided to make her way to the breakfast nook on the other side of the galley kitchen. She sat down and stared out the window, only a glimmer of dawn peeking through. It was an odd representation of how she felt at this point. Kimberly had lived in darkness for so long, and yet for once it seemed like light was trying to pierce through. Life itself had begun to stir within her heart. Hope, for the first time in ages, was actually something she could believe in again.

She felt a tear threatening to fall before the moment was interrupted by the one person that could dampen her hope.

"Can I make you some tea?" A sweet Australian voice asked. Kim's heart winced within her chest.

"S...Sure," she stammered. "Why are you up all ready?" The question was innocent enough, but the edginess of Kim's voice could have been clear to Bulk and Skull.

"I teach dance classes down at the Youth Center before kids go to school every Thursday, and then I'll come back here to help keep the dojo running," she replied, seemingly unfazed by Kimberly's tone. "Jason's smart and knows how to teach, but give the man administrative work, and he falls apart," Katherine rambled on. She fired up the stove top and placed the kettle to warm up the water. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"I... um..." Kimberly hesitated. "Don't take this the wrong way, Kat, but you don't have to treat me like this."

"Like what?" She asked.

"Like, all nice and sweet," Kim replied. "We hardly knew each other, and the lasting impression that everyone had of me was me dumping Tommy and leading him right into your sweet loving arms."

"Excuse me?" Kat asked, taken aback by the first pink ranger's comments.

"You heard me," Kim replied nastily. "Look, I don't need your charity."

"It's not charity," Katherine replied firmly. "Kimberly, I've always been fond of you."

"Sure, is that the reason why you moved in on Tommy so quickly after I dumped him? You were just waiting to come running in, and..."

"Kim," Kat interjected firmly, but still a gentleness to her voice. "I'm married to Jason now, one of your best friends. What happened in the past is in the past. Sure, I liked Tommy. At times, I did want to get in between the two of you. But I never chose too. In fact, after you broke up with him I did everything in my power to set him up with someone else, because I didn't want to get in the way."

"Why did you do that?" Kim asked.

"Because I hated seeing Tommy in pain," Katherine replied. "I'd never seen him so hopeless."

"Oh..." Kim whispered.

"Kimberly, I'm not blaming you," Katherine replied. "Yes, he was in pain. But you have been running from something for a long time, and we are here to help you."

"Darn straight we are," Jason replied, appearing behind his wife. "We're not leaving you, Kimmie."

"Even if I treat you like trash?" Kim admitted sheepishly. "I'm sorry Kat... I..."

"Kimberly, we love you," Kat replied warmly. "We aren't going anywhere, and there's nothing you can do to change that." At that moment, the tea kettle began to shriek, and Kat returned to the stove top to fetch the water.

"After your tea, I'm going to take you down to the station and we're going to see if we can figure some things out. And then, if I remember correctly, Tommy is going to take you shopping."

"Tommy? He's going to take me shopping?"

"Would you rather I go?" Jason joked.

"No... I just... he hated shopping with me," Kim replied.

"I think at this point, he's willing to do almost anything with you," Kat replied, returning with a mug of tea for Kim as well as one for herself. "Even if it means being with you for hours while you try on the latest fashions."

"The latest fashions... yeah..." Kim found herself zoning out as she sipped her tea. The anger and bitterness that defined her were slowly fading away, and she found herself, for once since this whole ordeal, finding joy. She even felt a semblance of safety.

An hour later she rode with Jason and Officer Morgan to the precinct. There they looked at mug shots, recorded her story, and cross-checked what she had said to all that they knew about Schmidt. While they gained some clarity on Schmidt's activity, it still led them to a dead end in terms of next steps. While Kim was saddened by this, Jason reminded her that these were the best leads that anyone had had on them ever since their whole operation started.

"We'll get these guys," Jason assured her. However, fear began to creep back in. She wondered if maybe she should just go back to her old life. This way she could keep them all safe. It was this thought that occupied her mind for the next few hours. What she didn't expect was that a shopping trip would melt this away.

Tommy picked her up from the station, credit card in hand, and made his way to the Angel Grove Mall. "I'm not even sure what stores are even here," Tommy said aloud.

"Tommy, you know you don't have to do this, right?" Kim softly chided.

"What, and miss out on spending time with you?" Tommy looked incredulous. "Come on, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Tommy, you hate shopping," Kim replied flatly.

"I do," Tommy confessed, though with a slight grin. "But when someone you care about is back in your life after ten years apart, you're willing to do even what you hate to care for them."

"What's in it for you?" Kim challenged. "Do you just expect that I'll be swept off my feet and I'll just be your girlfriend again. You ride in on a white horse..."

"Tiger," he interjected.

"Whatever," She shot back. "And you're my hero, that I can't live without? Am I just a prize to be won?"

"Kim, I don't see you like that," Tommy reasoned. "Look, I don't know what the future holds for us. I'm not all that interested in that right now. What I care about is you. You're wounded. You're broken. And you need us to pour into you, and that's what I want to do. If that means you reciprocate, that's fine, but that's not why I'm taking you out to shop."

"Then why?" Kim asked. "Why treat me like this?"

"How do you think I'm treating you?" Tommy asked.

"I... I don't know," Kim sighed. She thought back to earlier in the morning, when for the first time she felt like she was safe in nearly ten years. She wondered why that had moved her so much.

"You don't remember what it feels like to be loved," Tommy shared. The remark caught Kimberly off guard.

"No... I do... I mean..." she sighed again, trying to make sense of all the conflicting emotions that rattled in her brain. "I don't deserve this."

"No, you don't."

"What?" Kim asked, surprised at Tommy's agreement.

"You don't deserve it," he repeated gently. "And I think, deep down, you know that, so at every turn you treat us with skepticism, fear, and anger. Your protecting yourself from us."

"What are you, some sort of shrink?"

"Did you learn nothing from the story of my adoption?" Tommy asked. She shook her head, causing Tommy to give an impatient sigh. "Look... not every conversation we have needs to be deep and figuring out your junk. But I'm not doing this because I'm trying to win you back. I'm not doing it because you deserve it. I'm doing it because I care about you. You can either let me, or you can push me away."

Kim thought silently for a moment. "Well..." she started. "I mean, I'm all ready in the car with you. I might as well go and at least see what sales their running..." The admission illicited a chuckle from her former boyfriend. "What's so funny?"

"For a moment, you sounded like when you did back in high school," Tommy replied. The statement took her by surprise, but she didn't respond.

They arrived at the mall and quickly made their way to Macy's. While Kim was reluctant at first, barely thumbing through any of the items, it didn't take long for the shopper Tommy knew her to be re-emerge. She poured herself into each section, finding jeans, skirts, blouses, tanks, and more. Surprisingly, what took hours felt like nothing to Tommy. He was surprised that the time flew so by, and he wondered if part of it was seeing a bit of joy return to Kimberly.

He left her when it came to the intimates section, letting her have her privacy. While she spent time in that section, he wandered off into the formalwear section. There was a beautiful pink dress that adorned a mannequin. It had lacy straps, and sequins adorned it's body. "Can I help you?" One of the female store clerks asked.

"You wouldn't happen to have this in stock, would you?" He asked, pointing to the dress.

"I think we do, but I would need to know the size..."

"There's a young woman in the intimates section, that's who I'd be buying it for. Would you be able to tell from just seeing her?"

"I could try... at the very least, I could get an idea. You can always bring it back to altar it if needed."

"Gotcha, well, that would be great." She went ahead and quickly found Kim, and after a moment of considering, she found the dress that she thought would be the best size, and brought it to Tommy. "Thanks, can I go ahead and pay?"

After Kim was done in that section, she met up with Tommy. "Did you do some shopping yourself?" She asked, noting the rather large bag he now held in his hands.

"Just needed to pick up a couple of things," he replied. "Did you find all the things you were looking for?"

"I did, they're all up at a counter waiting to check out."

"Great," Tommy replied, handing her his credit card to go check out.

"Tommy... I might have nearly two thousand dollars worth of clothing picked out, maybe even more. How much..."

"That's fine," Tommy replied. "I've saved up quite a bit for a rainy day, and this is a good use of that savings."

"Tommy, I can't..."

"Yes you can," Tommy replied.

"Well... I'll pay you back then."

"I don't want you too, Kim. It's a gift. It kind of defeats the purpose if you pay me back."

"I..."

"No more arguing," Tommy chided. "Go, pay for all your new stuff, and don't worry about how much it is. I paid off the credit card a week ago, it should have more than enough credit." A small grin finally crept on her face, and then she left to go pay. A few minutes later, she returned with more bags than Tommy could count. "Only two-thousand?"

"I may have underestimated..." The admission made Tommy smile from ear to ear, and they slowly made their way back to the car.

They drove back from the store to the karate studio, hauling today's treasures into Jason and Kat's apartment. They arrived finding the place seemingly empty. "Do you think there's any where I could hang some of these things up?"

"Maybe Kat wouldn't mind you sharing her closet?" Tommy suggested. Kim shrugged her shoulders and brought a bag over to the master bedroom down the hall. She propped the door open, and began to take some of the blouses out of one of the shopping bags. As she did this, an uneasy feeling came over her. She hung the shirt she had in her hand up, and then quickly turned around and swung her arm, only for it to be caught by a larger man wearing black. He quickly swung her around and placed her in a choke-hold.

"Sebastian awaits your presence, my dear," the assassin whispered in her ear. Kim tried to scream, wanting to alert Tommy to the villain's presence, but there was no getting any words out. "Don't worry, your friend will have a quick death, and then all will be back as it should be."

"You're right about one thing," a voice said from behind. "Things will be put back to the way they should. Ki-yah!" Before the henchman could reach for his gun, Tommy quickly struck him with a kick to his temple, breaking the hold of Kim's attacker. Tommy then lunged at him, and the pair wrestled on the ground for a moment. However, the assassin quickly gained control, placing Tommy in the same hold he had Kimberly in. He showed no remorse, choking the life out of him, until a gunshot rang throughout the apartment. The assassin crumpled to the ground, shot through the head. Tommy looked to see Kimberly, who held the gun for a moment, only to drop it as her body shook. Tommy ran over towards her, and held her, and as he did that she finally let go of all the emotion that she had been holding within her, and crumpled to the floor, sobbing in Tommy's arms.

 _To be continued..._

 _ **Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!**_

 _ **\- Googz333**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**_ _This has taken a while, but I'm finally in a place where I can actually think about writing, so the rest of the story should be up in a matter of weeks. Thanks for your patience, and for all the love!_

 **Grace Alone - Chapter 5**

The Dojo was surrounded by policemen, yellow tape was restricting access was all around the building, and police lights flashed everywhere with the angel grove police cars. Inside the building, Jason, Katherine, Hayley, and Detective Morgan joined a very scared Kimberly, who sat down on the Scott's large sofa with a blanket draped over her head and body. Tommy sat with her, holding her and running his hand up and down her back, trying to comfort her.

Morgan had asked a couple of questions, but it was clear that Kimberly was too shaken at this point to really talk. Tommy had deferred any questions as well, but only because Kim was currently in their presence, and he didn't want to leave her just yet.

Jason and Detective Morgan stepped out for a moment to talk, hoping they could flesh out what had exactly happened.

"I thought this place would have been secure enough," Jason stated. "We have security cameras, alarms, everything. But not only did they get past undetected, they also made sure to erase any way of knowing how they did it."

"They got all the footage?" Morgan asked.

"Every last second, in every last area of the facility. I have no idea if someone snuck in during a karate class, or found another way in."

"We've got to up the protective measures for Kimberly," Morgan reasoned. "Sebastian knows we're here, and he knows how to get to her."

"But how?" Jason asked. "How could they have found her this quickly?"

"Well, we both know Sebastian is pretty well connected. With Kimberly being a risk to his operation, he has enough money to find a way to silence her."

"This ends one of two ways, then. We either find Sebastian, or we all die. There's no way anyone connected to Kimberly lives at this point."

"My thoughts exactly," Morgan frowned. "What do you think we should do?"

"Well, at this point I would imagine moving her to a safe house would only delay the inevitable," Jason thought aloud. "At this point, we should look over the dojo and see if maybe this assassin slipped up, give us a tip as to what happened. After that, we close the loop. Shut down all operations of the dojo until further notice."

"That would mean a total lockdown of everyone who lives here," Morgan leveled. "Your wife, you, Hayley. All of that just so we can be pinned down screaming to Sebastian that we're here, waiting for him to come to us."

"Exactly," Jason replied.

Tommy and Kimberly were left alone on the sofa, with Hayley and Katherine retreating to their personal rooms. Kimberly's body shook, her hands trembled, and Tommy could feel each shiver as he embraced her. She had cried for hours, the new feeling of safety snatched from her almost as quickly as it had returned.

Just when she started feeling like she could return to an old life she once loved, the demons of her present snatched it away.

"Thank you for saving my life," Tommy mentioned gently. "I would have died if you hadn't done anything."

"I wouldn't have had to do that if I had just stayed away," Kim said emotionlessly. "I'm so..."

"Don't you dare apologize for this," Tommy interjected quickly. The quick rebuke sobered Kimberly for a moment. "It was my choice to help you. Mine to do whatever I could to protect you. You never got the choice. You've been used and abused since this all started. If you want to blame someone, blame Sebastian. Blame the ones who drugged you. But don't blame yourself for putting me in danger."

Tommy noticed that she stopped shaking after a moment of letting his words sink in.

"You're really not ashamed of me?" Kim asked.

"No."

"But I've done really bad things, and I've put you in a really bad spot."

"Maybe," Tommy replied honestly. "But Kim, I've seen the worst of you, and I'm staying."

"Why?" She asked. But the question, for once, was not asked out of a critical nature. In fact, Tommy sensed that, for the first time, she was asking to find hope.

"Because I choose too," he replied. "I care too much about you to do otherwise." Kimberly finally turned her head to face the man who now embraced and comforted her. Her eyes gazed into his, and Tommy smiled. "Wow... for the first time I see what I always saw before you left Florida."

"What's that?"

"Life." They sat for what felt like an eternity, gazing into each others eyes without a word. The attack had seemingly robbed her of all hope, but she found herself beginning to gush with it. Her cheeks became more flush, light returned to her eyes, she even managed a brief smile. The tender moment, however, was interrupted by Detective Morgan and Jason.

"Hey, would you guys be up for talking through some of our options moving forward?" Jason asked.

"You don't have too if you're not ready, Kim," Morgan assured her. "But we do need to figure out a plan soon."

"No, we can talk about it now," Kim replied. "I think... I feel a little more stable now."

"We think it would be best if we hunkered down here," Jason started. "We thought that moving you, while delaying their ability to find you, won't delay them much. And, at least in here, we have a few tactical advantages. We can cancel all the classes in the dojo, which would remove all traffic flow."

"Jason and Katherine also know the ins and outs of the place better than anyone, so most likely we can figure out how they were able to get in here," Morgan added.

"Not to be a cynic, but if Sebastian knows where we are, what's stopping him from just sending waves of armed men coming in and blowing us all away?" Tommy asked.

"That's the other advantage we have," Jason replied. "Sebastian does know where we are now, but he still wouldn't want something extremely public like this. That would draw more heat his way."

"At this point, the web of people who know what's happening is expanding," Morgan explained. "I would imagine that all who have been in contact with you are in danger, Kimberly." Kim frowned at this, but Morgan continued. "This is a good thing, Kim. It's a lot harder to kill six people in secret instead of one."

"But I don't want any of you to die because of me," she confessed quietly.

"We're going to do everything in our power to make sure that no one does," Morgan reassured her. "Until then, we're going to go public that we believe Sebastian is after you, and is the big drug runner in the state. We'll see if the publicity helps us smoke him out."

"What do we do until then?" Tommy asked.

"We'll keep our movement limited," Jason replied. "Stay contained and out of sight, with a number of police escorts on call if needed. Everyone in this apartment, including Derek, is a target now."

"Great..." Kim sighed.

"Hey, don't blame yourself," Tommy reassured her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Just then, a voice came over Jason's radio. He and Morgan stepped away to listen in, leaving Tommy and Kim on the couch. Before either one of them could say anything else, Katherine's soothing voice penetrated the room.

"Tommy, could you come here for a minute?"

"Sure," he replied. He stood up but turned to face Kim for a moment. "Be right back." She nodded, and after another quick moment where their gazes met, he left for the back room of the apartment. "What's up, Kat?"

"This is some dress," Kat mentioned quietly, holding up the secret package from his and Kim's shopping spree. "I'm a bit surprised that Kim was willing to buy such a high-end thing, considering how she has been feeling..."

"I just wanted to do something nice for her, that's all," Tommy replied.

"Tommy, nice was paying for some new clothes. You're generosity is extending to lavish extravagance at this point."

"What's the big deal?" Tommy asked. "I just thought it would be nice for her to have a dress."

"Is it because you pity her and her situation?"

"No, It's because I lov..." Tommy cut himself off, realizing what he was about to say. "I love her," he confessed aloud. "And I'd do anything to not only rescue her from the situation she's in, but also from her own pain."

"What do you mean?" Kat asked.

"She's been enslaved for so long, I wonder if she even remembers what it's like to be her. To be free from the belief that she's worthless, freed from believing that she is someone's property. Freed to hope again."

Kat frowned and then sat down on the edge of her bed. "Sit here," she motioned him over, and he did. She handed him the dress and then shared. "You need to be careful, Tommy," she warned. "I understand the history and the pain that you must be feeling. Ten years since the letter."

"Look..."

"Tommy, whatever explanation you have, you need to wait and hear what I have to say," Kat interjected graciously. Tommy nodded and waited for her to continue. "Look, the goal is not for Kim to fall in love with you again. If that happens, then great. I would be so happy for you. Both of you. But Kimberly needs to be loved with no strings attached right now. Imagine if you promise her the world, and then something happens to you."

"Nothing is going to happen..."

"Tommy, you can't control what Sebastian does," Kat reasoned. "You're lucky you both are still alive. Not to mention that no relationship is promised to continue. What if you realize that it won't work between the two of you?"

"Look, I'm going to do anything or make any moves," Tommy replied, a hint of anger beginning to flare up within his voice. "I just... I just want to make her happy."

"I know," Kat shared. "But don't make her happy now at the expense of long-term healing." The comment sobered Tommy. "I don't think you're doing anything wrong... I'm not even saying that you shouldn't have her wear the dress, or that you shouldn't take her out. Maybe that's what she needs. I just want you to be careful with her heart."

"Huh... I hadn't thought of it that way," Tommy replied.

"I know," Kat chuckled. "It helps that I've dated you before to know how you're wired. But Kim doesn't just need you right now. She needs to be surrounded by people who can help her feel loved again. Especially as she starts to wade through the guilt that she feels for all that she's done."

"But it's not her fault," Tommy replied.

"Tommy... even when we are victims, we still have to account for our sins. Even though she was forced into some pretty rough situations, she is still going to feel the shame of what she, herself, has done. You alone can't take that away from her."

"Are you saying that what she's done is her fault?" Tommy asked incredulously.

"No... I'm saying that, even when the shame of what's been done to her is gone, she's still going to have to wrestle with the things she herself has done. It's not as simple as catching the bad guy and being done with it." The thought stopped Tommy straight in his tracks.

"I guess it's been easy for me to think that this is like when we were rangers," Tommy confessed. "Rita and Zedd send a monster, we beat it, we pick up the pieces. But I've never encountered anything like this before. I guess I just thought I could be the white knight who comes in and saves the day... you know, help her know that she is loved."

"And it's helping," Kat replied, placing her hand on his arm, giving him a slight squeeze of affirmation. "She's only been here a day, and I can all ready see the light returning in her eyes. And I don't doubt that when she sees this dress and puts it on, it will continue to help her to replace the shame that resides insider her with the confidence and strength that she once had. But she needs to learn that with our help, we can't force it on her. And she certainly can't put all her hope in one person, as tempting as that might be."

"Then what do I do?" Tommy asked.

"Care for her," Kat replied. "Maybe that means you do take her out, and remind her what it means to live freely, and to live loved. And remember that you have a community to help you do that."

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Thanks for reading, please take a moment to leave a review!**

 **\- Googz333**


	6. Chapter 6

**Grace Alone - Chapter 6**

Kimberly, Tommy, Hayley, and Detective Morgan had been holed up in the dojo for five days now, waiting for what seemed like an eternity for either news to come or an assailant to come after them. Neither came, despite what felt like was a massive blinking sign that said "attack" over top of it. Kim, Tommy, and Hayley in particular felt the weight of their current situation, for Detective Morgan and Jason left occasionally to check in at the prescint, and Kat felt at home in the dojo since she helped Jason run it.

A couple days in, one of the police officers dropped off a number of bags of groceries, as well as some clothes for Tommy, Detective Morgan, and Hayley. None of them were nearly as fortunate to have had a shopping spree right before they were on lockdown.

The six of them rested in living room area, silently spending time either reading, watching the television, or playing cards (which Hayley was quite convinced that she was finally going to conquer the cards in her game of solitaire). Kim finally broke the silence.

"I need to get out of here," Kim said aloud. Her admission garned sympathetic looks from the gang. "I get that we're in danger, but there has to be some way we can get refreshed."

"You could use the gym in the dojo?" Jason suggested. "One of us could accompany you, and you could use some of the equipment. I think we even updated some of the gymnastics equipment."

"I appreciate the offer..." Kim started. "But, I was kind of hoping more to get out of this building. You know, breathe air outside of the walls."

"No can do, Kim," Morgan replied. The quick response frustrated the petite woman.

"I think I'll go work out then," Kim sighed. She went to the back room to change, with Hayley agreeing to go with her. After they left, Tommy thought up an idea.

"You know I would do anything to protect Kim, right?"

"Where are you going with this, Tommy?" Jason telegraphed his friend's thought.

"Look, Kimberly doesn't just need protection, she needs to heal," Tommy continued. "What if I took her out tonight, we could grab dinner, be someplace public, and we could make sure to have a police escort.

"Tommy, are you crazy?" Morgan asked.

"Look, the point of this was never to keep us quaranteened for the rest of our lives," Tommy argued. "You've said yourself that the way to have Kimberly help us is for her to become more and more comfortable. You know, heal from all the trauma and abuse she's gone through. What if this could help us. What if it could help her?"

"It feels like an unnecessary risk," Morgan replied.

"Maybe not," Jason countered, surprising Tommy. "Look, we all know that we can't just keep her locked up in here for weeks, let alone months or years. This was a short-term solution, not a long-term strategy. Besides, I think a dinner out would do both of you good."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tommy asked.

"All I'm saying is it would be good for the two of you to get time to connect," Jason assured him. "Nothing is meant by it.

"Are you sure about that?" Morgan argued. "Ten years, right? Since your break-up?"

"Yeah, it was a long time ago," Tommy replied.

"But you kept her letter."

"Look, I'm not looking for a date out. I'm looking to help her heal, that's all. She's been through too much as it is. I don't need to lay on her anything else that might be emotionally heavy."

"We believe you, Tommy," Jason shared, patting him on the shoulder. "I think we should let them go," Jason turned to Morgan. "One of us can take a unit and trail them, while the other stays here with Hayley and Kat."

"You stay with your wife," Morgan replied. "I'll get our unit ready, have them inspect our vehicles just in case they planted anything in them. For the record, I don't like this plan."

"We know," Jason replied.

In the main part of the dojo, Kim clicked on the lights and, after a few minutes of warming up, they brightened up the whole room. It was an impressive space, filled with bright reds and dark blacks on the walls and below with padded floors. It reminded her of the red that once defined her long-time friend. Hundreds of square footage was devoted to an open space for katas and sparring, while another large part of the gym contained equipment like punching bags, weights, and other training tools for students.

She glanced over to the back corner, and noticed the equipment Jason had referred to earlier. A balance beam, uneven bars, and a space for a floor routine. There were other pieces as well, but her eyes zeroed in on the beam. It was as if she were transported to a former life. Instead of being here, she was in the juice bar, with Ernie watching over them from the counter. She would be on the beam, while Jason and Zack would spar and teach classes. Trini would train by herself in the corner, while Billy cheered them on.

"Those were happier times," she sighed wistfully.

"When's the last time you hopped on the beam?" Hayley asked. Kim was shaken for a moment, she had forgotten that Hayley had accompanied her.

"A few times after the initial incident," Kim replied. "After Abby was murdered, I couldn't bring myself to practice."

"I'm sorry," Hayley replied. "Tommy told me how impressed he was by you. He mentioned how fearless you were, and yet matched with your fearlessness was a beauty and elegance in your movements that were unmatched. It's probably why Coach Schmidt wanted you for the Pan-Globals."

"Tommy told you about me?" Kim asked. "I mean, I knew he talked a little, but he talked about me as a gymnast?"

"Kim, I probably know everything he knows about you," Hayley replied nonchalantly. "The man wouldn't shut up about you for ages. He'd recount past dates, your skills as a gymnast, pranks you pulled on Bulk and Skull, he even would talk about your immense bravery as a teammate." The last part of that caused Kim to mockingly chuckle.

"Brave... maybe in a past life. But that bravery died with the seventeen year old girl who let her friend get murdered and let other men take advantage of her."

"I don't believe that, Kim," Hayley replied sternly. "I believe that you've been scarred. You're wounded. Covered in shame. But there are signs of life within you. And if you're half as great as Tommy says you are, then I have no doubt that hope can well up within you once more." The statement stopped Kim in her tracks, causing her to look at her acquaintance with both shock and hope.

"Why do you believe in me so much?"

"I don't," Hayley replied. "I believe what Tommy has told me. And I believe that no one in his life has been impacted by anyone as much as by you." A tear came to Kim's eye, but it was short-lived, as Hayley continued her blunt assertions. "Now... are you going to get on that beam or not?"

Kim gave a faint smile and began stretching. A few minutes later she made her way onto the beam. She fumbled around as she started, but what made for clunky beginnings gave way to her familiarity. As Hayley watched, it was as if she transformed before her eyes. Where fear had taken hold to start, a tenacious concentration replaced it. Basic, small movements moved to more complex, even extreme movements that most gymnasts wouldn't dare try, especially ten years removed from the sport. After a few minute routine, she dismounted with one of her most complex twists, hitting the landing with perfection.

It drew a round of applause from the red-head that accompanied her. "That was awesome, Kimberly."

"Thanks, Hayley."

"Of course," she replied.

The pair worked out for about another half-hour, Kimberly on the gymnastics equipment and Hayley just training with weights. The pair finished up and headed back to the apartment, only to be stopped by Jason and Derek for a few moments. Hayley stayed behind and talked a little more, while Kim continued on to the apartment.

She made her way to the bathroom to shower. After a quick shower she wrapped a towel around herself and walked into the bedroom. She was shocked at what she saw. A pink dress, the one Tommy had secretly purchased for her, rested on the bed, along with a note. She quickly read it, and, maybe for the first time in a long time, an unforced smile crept on her face.

Tommy waited in the living room, dressed in a suit that he was borrowing from Jason. It fit him a bit loosely, but it wasn't too noticeable. Underneath the black suitcoat and slacks was a green shirt and a white tie. Jason returned to the apartment to see the now slickly dressed science teacher, finding himself grinning at the sight of him.

"So... just want to take her out to dinner..." Jason slyly commented.

"Yes..." Tommy replied, with a snicker coming from Hayley, who entered behind Jason. Kat, who had been sitting on the couch, merely smirked. "Hey, I want Kim to feel special, like she once did."

Before anyone could respond, the door to the bedroom creaked and she walked out in the pink dress. For the first time they had been there she applied make up, she even did something with her hair. There was even a difference with how she walked. There was a confidence that resembled how she used to walk. A bounce in her step, like nothing could ever take her joy away.

She walked towards Tommy, beaming with a large smile.

"Wow... you look stunning," Tommy nearly gasped.

"You have a surprisingly good taste in dresses," Kim playfully replied.

"Well, I did have years of practice when I would take you to the mall," Tommy chided, earning him a slight smack on the arm.

"How did you find this, and in my size?" Kim asked.

"One of women at Macy's was able to give me a good idea just by seeing you while we shopped. Really, she was the one who found the right one. I just saw the dress on a mannequin."

"So humble," Jason mocked, earning a leering stare from his best friend, and a slight chuckle from the petite brunette.

"We," Tommy started, pointing at the rest of the gang around him, "thought you could use a night where you could leave this madness behind, even if temporarily. I talked with Morgan, and we'll keep you safe..."

"Tommy... I know with you I'm in good hands," Kim replied. "That has always been true. I just... I wish I trusted you sooner." A tear formed at her eye, but she didn't let it fall. Instead she wiped it off quickly, unable to stop her beaming smile.

She didn't know how the night would go. But she knew, for the first time in a while, that she was remembered. Cared for. Loved. Loved in a deeper way than just a romantic puppy love. Loved in a way that was secure. Knowing that the people around her were for her. No matter what she had done, nor no matter how deeply she had been hurt. They had seen the worst of her. And not only did they stay, they covered her shame with praise, with care, and even a beautiful pink dress.

It would need to be the anchor for what would happen next.

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

 _ **Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a review!**_

 _ **\- Googz333**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Grace Alone - Chapter 7**_

She hadn't seen such luxury since the opening banquet of her Pan-Global experience. Coach Schmidt had spared no expense for his new, prized, gymnasts. They had rented a back room of the finest steakhouse in Miami. While the athletes were supposed to watch their weight, this was the one night he told them to "enjoy." It was one of the last moments in her life where she truly felt that she was a person... at least until now. Ten years later, she found herself back in a place that she didn't feel like she belonged in.

It was called "Luella's," which resided just outside of Angel Grove, nestled between it and the city limits of Stone Canyon. She had always wanted to go there as a teenager, Tommy knew this. He had even planned on taking her there for Junior Prom, until the opportunity for her to go to Florida arrived.

The décor was simple, yet elegant. Dark brown mahogany tables adorned with pure white tableclothes and spotless silverware. Each table felt dwarved by the massive, luxurious chairs for each person to sit in. Each one felt less like a chair you would sit at for dinner, and more like a throne fit for a king or queen. Each part of the restaurant that Kimberly passed by, she felt like she had to pinch herself to remember that she wasn't dreaming. This was reality. She was here. Living and eating like royalty. With the man she thought she would never see again.

 _'Is this what redemption is?'_ She wondered to herself.

Tommy was also taken aback, mainly because he never realized a restaurant could be more than, well, a restaurant. As Hayley had chided him many times, the extent of his eating habits were limited to his own tv dinners, Hayley's cooking, and the occasional stop at either the local sushi joint, or if he was feeling particularly unhealthy, In and Out Burgers.

They were seated by the maitre'd, and found themselves quickly greeted by the waiter, who handed them menus, a wine list, and a fresh basket of bread with dipping oil.

"You always know a place is fancy when they give you oil instead of butter for your bread," Tommy joked. The comment brought a slight chuckle out of Kim, and an amused look out of the waiter.

"I'll return in a moment after you've had a chance to look over the menus, ok?" Tommy and Kim nodded their heads at the waiter, and he left to leave them poring over the small, but daring, options printed for them.

"Trip Advisor wasn't kidding when it said four dollar signs," Tommy said, commenting on the very high prices of each menu item.

"Tommy, if you don't want to pay, we can go somewhere else..." Kim immediately replied.

"No... you're worth it," he replied. "Besides, I promised to take you here for prom. I'm a little late, but here we are. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy."

The pair thumbed through their menus a bit more, before the waiter returned for their orders. Tommy ordered a bottle of red wine, both Kim and Tommy ordered the best steak on the menu along with salads. The waiter took their menus and he left them again, and the pair waited for their meals. Kim had made her way through a couple of rolls all ready, when she noticed that Tommy's hands were shaking a bit.

"You ok?" Kim asked.

"Me? Yeah." The uneasiness in his voice was evident, causing Kim to prod a bit more.

"Tommy, what's wrong?" She asked. "You know you can talk about anything with me."

"You said something very similar to me back when we were freshmen," Tommy chuckled. "It was before I asked you to the dance."

"You were very scared, I still remember how you stuttered to get the words out," Kim smiled.

"I didn't even get the chance until afterwards, putties showed up, remember." She chuckled and nodded at Tommy's reminder. "Look, I don't want you to worry about me."

"But your hands are shaking," Kim replied quickly.

"Let's just say it's been a long time since I've taken someone out. Especially someone as beautiful as you."

"You helped me look this way tonight, you know," Kim countered. "You're the one who is helping me recover my confidence, my identity."

"No, all I've done is help you remember who you have always been."

"After everything that happened... why did you choose to do pour yourself out for me?" Kim asked.

"When I saw you that night, in the interrogation room... I saw a woman that I didn't recognize. I remember, when Hayley and I drove over to see you, I told her that it might be the most difficult evening of my life. It was, but for a different reason than I thought it would be. For ten years, I wondered why I got your letter. And, to my shame, there were days that I thought horrible things about you. I wondered how you could throw us away, how you couldn't face me so you cowardly sent me a letter. But when I saw you, sitting at that table... all I could think about was how you were in a place that you were never supposed to be."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"You're a princess, a warrior, a beautiful and fierce woman. That was who you were created to be, and it had been stolen from you. Stolen from your own fears and doubts, and stolen by your oppressors. You were never meant to be the woman I found weeks ago in that station. You were meant for more, to be more, because you are more. That's why, Kim. I had my anger, my sadness, but seeing you made those things melt away in favor of compassion and love."

"Thank you..."

"Your dinners," the waiter interrupted the sweet moment. This brought a light moment of levity, smiles were had, and the feast began. The flavors tantalized the tastebuds, the wine loosened their spirits, they were both completely lost in the moment. For the first time in a decade, Kimberly didn't look over her shoulder, wondering what might happen. She wasn't used or abused. She was loved.

As they finished their feast, music began playing, and Tommy stood up and extended his hand to her. "Would you care to dance?"

"I would love too," Kim replied with a deep, beaming smile.

The pair made their way to the dance floor, and she wrapped her arms around Tommy's neck, his around her waist. She felt lost in his embrace, until she realized he was trembling once more. "Tommy, what's wrong?"

"I... I just never thought I would get to dance with you again," Tommy confessed. "I've missed you." They looked into each others eyes intently, and as they gazed more and more, the impulse to draw closer became too tempting, and his lips met hers. They stood locked together for what felt like an eternity. He drew his face away, but his eyes continued to lock on hers. "I've been waiting to do that for a long time."

"Me too," she replied, her cheeks flushed. Before they could do anything else, the lights turned out. "Tommy?" She asked, her voice beginning to tremble. His grasp of her loosened, and he guided her behind him.

"Follow me," he whispered. The pair made their way to one of the exit signs and went through the doorway, which brought them into the kitchen of the restaurant. Tommy motioned for Kimberly to move towards the back of the facility, while he scanned the area to find no sign of a chef or other workers in the area. He stood slowly to peer through the small window of the door, finding that the lights were still off. He quickly ducked back down, for fear that someone may see him.

He made his way to the back where he had told Kim to hide, but he got there to the alarm that she was no longer there. He panicked, whispering "Kim" as he frantically crawled on the cold tile floor. It was then that he heard it. A door swinging open, and the faint click of a gun ready to deploy its hot lead into an unsuspecting victim. Tommy swiftly got behind the island counter opposite his assailant, and waited. He shut his eyes for a moment, controlled his breathing, and then he listened. The faintest of steps he could hear, realizing that with the small sounds, there could be two of them. One on his right, one on his left. They neared his location, and without hesitation, Tommy grasped the edge of the island to steady himself and lunged at his attacker on the right, sweeping his leg and knocking him to the floor.

The other attacker heard and readied his gun, but Tommy was so swift that he was able to roll over the one man, grab his gun, and reposition himself on the other side of the island, forcing the armed man to hide as Tommy fired two shots at him. Tommy ducked for cover, leaning to see on his left and to his right, to see where Schmidt's men might come at him next.

The unarmed man ran at him, forcing Tommy to slow him down with a gunshot wound to his knee. He stumbled, and Tommy was able to subdue him. In the melee, the armed attacker circled around and sought to surprise his would-be victim, but Tommy had so quickly fled to the other side, that the attacker didn't have enough time to realize that he was all ready in Tommy's sights. A shot fired, and the second assailant dropped to the ground.

It wasn't a fatal wound, so Tommy ran over and kicked his gun away from his enemy's hand. He then placed his foot on the wound of the man, and he grimaced. "Where's Schmidt?"

"You'll never find him," the attacker scowled. "He'll get what he wants, whether it's now, or later. He always does."

"Not this time," Tommy replied. He kicked the attacker in the face, knocking him out cold. He walked out of the building, nervously looking for Kimberly. He walked a few yards out, suddenly seeing Kim with Agent Morgan. He smiled, but then noticed the concerned look on Kim's face.

"Tommy, look out!"

He looked up to see two more men jump off the roof of the building to take him down. They struggled in the fight, Kim wanting to jump in the frey to help. But another man that was unaccounted for began to fire on the pair, and Morgan did the only thing he could do; grab Kimberly, and take her as far away as possible.

"NO! NO! Tommy!"

"There's no time, Kimberly," Morgan replied, frantically stuffing her in the car and hastily leaving behind the chaos that was the one who brought Kim hope.

She shouted and sobbed for another few minutes, as Morgan drove her back, the last image in her brain being that of armed men taking down Tommy.

They arrived back at the dojo, barely making it back inside, when Kimberly in all her emotion and anger slapped Agent Morgan. "Why did you leave him!? Why would let him..."

Morgan quickly wrapped her in an embrace and tried to comfort her, and she sobbed into his shirt. Jason, Katherine, and Hayley quickly made their way up to the main entrance where they saw the pair.

"Where's Tommy?" Hayley asked.

"He's gone," Morgan replied sullenly. "We don't know if he's been captured or killed, but they ambushed them. We were going to try and fight them off, but one of the gunmen opened fire on her, and I acted on instinct. I made sure she was safe."

"You left him!" Kim cried, loosening herself from Morgan's embrace. "You left him! And now he's going to die!"

"It was the right call," Jason quietly countered.

"What!?" Kim replied.

"It's what Tommy would have wanted us to do," Jason replied. Hayley's face sank, tears formed in her eyes, and she left the group. "Hayley!"

"Let her go," Kat counseled her husband.

"This is all my fault," Kim uttered, as she sat against the wall in the main hallway. "If I had never come into your lives..."

"This is not your fault, Kimberly," Katherine replied, moving towards her and sitting next to her on the cold hard floor. "Tommy knew the risks of coming to your aid. And he knew the risks of taking you out tonight. He did it because you're worth it."

"Am I worth it if he dies?"

"I'd argue that he's been willing to die for you all along," Kat replied. "To him, your life is worth his."

"I just..." She suddenly became voiceless, tears flowed as she tried to find the words to speak. She crumbled into Kat's embrace, and for what felt like hours, she poured out her grief.

In an unknown location, Tommy awoke. He felt his arms tied behind him, around a chair that he was seated on. He tasted blood on the inside of his mouth, and the fresh wave of pain that accompanied wounds on his face and fists that, though he couldn't see, he knew were there. As he breathed in, he felt the shooting pains of what was probably a broken rib or two, and every slight motion felt like fire to his muscles, which were sore or bruised, maybe both. He looked up, straining to look through one of his eyes, realizing it must be swelling shut.

"Welcome back to the land of the conscious, Dr. Oliver," a voice said. Tommy looked around and found a fuzzy figure walking towards him. "I can see why she loves you so much. You are truly brave, with the heart of a warrior."

"Where is she?" Tommy asked, jostling around in his seat. "Where is Kimberly?"

"My guess is she is back with your friends at the dojo," the man said. He walked towards the restrained former power ranger and leaned forward, bringing his face to his. "You all have caused me much trouble."

"So... you're Sebastian?" Tommy asked. He took him in, he wasn't imposing in his stature. But it was his demeanor... the way he carried himself. He was confident, a constant smirk on his face. While Tommy was sure he could take him in a fight, he was surprised at how intimidating he was solely based on his prescence.

"I am. And, unlike Rita, Zedd, or the Machine Empire, I am your worst nightmare."

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review :-)**

 **\- Googz333**


	8. Chapter 8

**Grace Alone - Chapter 8**

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tommy responded. Sebastian smirked as he studied his 'subject.'

"You can drop the act, Dr. Oliver," Sebastian replied, pacing in front of the restrained hero. "I know all about you. It's a testimony of Kim's undying affection for you. It took us a long time to break her, you know. Of all the people in her past that she tried to hold onto, you were the one that she couldn't let go of."

"You're going to pay for what you did to her!" Tommy grunted, jerking as Sebastian referred to Kim's past trauma. However, his captor simply continued his monologue.

"The letter was just the beginning of her letting you go. But it ended up being valuable to me now. Did you know that I've had exactly 83 former employees, including escorts, leave my operation?"

"Seems like a lot of turn over," Tommy quipped, to which Sebastian chuckled.

"It was at first. No one expected the consequences at first. You see, of the 83 that defected 82 are dead. Among those 82, were hundreds more of families, friends, even pets who were connected to them to keep my operation a success. Kimberly is the first one to go a week without being found and killed. Even more surprising is how she found capable resources to protect her... though, now I know you were helping her, it makes sense."

"So what now?" Tommy asked. "Kill me? Start the slaughter that you've planned for her whole support system?"

"I have you right where I want you," Sebastian grinned. "Tied up, where you can't do anymore damage." At that point, he walked away and left the former ranger alone, leaving him to wonder what would happen next.

 ***Flashback***

 _It used to be that she still felt shame afterwards. But not anymore. Not after years of giving herself to men who paid for her 'services.' It wasn't that shame didn't affect her, but that she had become so numb to it. What once was abnormal and atrocious was now her life. It was almost the only thing she knew._

 _Kim awoke to find herself lying naked next to another man. The third that week. Drugs and prostitution weren't the life she had drempt for herself, but it paid the bills and it kept her safe from Sebastian. Just stay in line, do what he says, and all will be right._

 _After finishing her 'appointment,' she found herself back to where she had stayed for so long: a dingy apartment with little lighting, worn furniture, and that reeked with cheap perfume. She sat down on her uncomfortable sofa, kicking off her high heels, and lounged back as she tried to forget once more. She felt herself shake a bit, feeling the withdrawl of not getting high, but she had gotten over it quickly._

" _You know, I can help you with that my dear," a voice startled her. It came from the bedroom, and after a few seconds Kimberly knew that this was one of Sebastian's random visits. He had started doing this after another one of his 'star performers' tried to rat him out to the FBI and the NCAA._

" _What... why are you here?"_

" _It's interesting that, though you claim to have no connection to the outside world anymore, you have this photograph in your wallet," Sebastian said, holding up the item in his hand._

" _Why are you going through my stuff..."_

" _You have nothing anymore, remember!" Sebastian yelled. "I own you." He pointed his finger at the petite woman. "I have been more than kind to you. I give you food, I give you money, I give you a place to stay, and I can give you more than enough fixes to last you a lifetime. So, don't you dare tell me what I can and can't go through. You own nothing, I do. Don't you forget that."_

" _Yes, Sebastian," she murmured._

" _As I was saying," he continued. "This photograph you keep with you..." he opened her wallet and pulled out a small picture. "You both look happy in this picture... who is he?"_

" _Just an old friend from a past life," Kim fibbed._

" _Oh... then you won't mind if I tear it up and replace..."_

" _NO! NO! Don't you dare!" The burst of anger caught both of them by surprise. It was the first time Kim had felt any emotions in months. "He was my boyfriend."_

" _Was?" Sebastian grinned as he coerced her. "I think it's clear that you still love this man. What would keep me from killing him..."_

" _I don't see him anymore," Kimberly pleaded. "I... when you murdered Abby, I pushed away all of my friends and family. I made a clean break with him."_

" _Then why did you go back to Angel Grove a few months later? Didn't you see him there?"_

" _No! I..."_

" _There's a picture of you with him and all your old friends!" He pulled out a newspaper article from the local Angel Grove news. It was of the gang after Tommy, Jason, and Adam had won the karate tournament after the Muiranthias incident. "Thomas Oliver, right?"_

" _I was captured, and they saved me, and that was the end of it."_

" _Captured? How could a group of high school graduates help save you?"_

" _They... we... were the power rangers," she confessed. "Tommy for a long time was our leader. Now please... I beg you, don't take him out. That article is over five years old. I haven't communicated with him, and I told no one in that article that I was doing your bidding."_

" _I believe you," he said. He dropped the wallet, along with the photograph. "Now... I don't have much time..." Kim rolled her eyes, knowing what he meant. She stood up, letting him gaze upon her lustily, and she began to take off her clothes, knowing she had to serve her master..._

 _*_ **Present Day***

She gazed at the photo that she had held of Tommy for so long. For a decade, it was her last connection to him. Her last connection not only to the man she had loved, but a man who actually cherished her for who she was. The last few days had been a wonderful experience. She was treated with dignity and respect. She was honored and loved, even when she didn't deserve it. Now, the man who had enslaved her had taken away the one whom her heart truly desired.

She sat in the breakfast nook of Jason and Kat's apartment, light began to shine in, but all she could do was stare at the photo of them in high school. Her on his shoulders, smiles wide, just joyful to be in his presence. A tear came to her eye as she considered the gravity of what had happened. It wouldn't be surprising if Tommy were all ready dead. However, knowing how Sebastian operated, she didn't think that would be his first play. After all, Tommy was his best link to her, and ultimately he wants her dead. But it still made for a very depressing time.

"Mind if I join you?" A female voice cut in to her thoughts. She looked to find Hayley, who was standing next to her.

"Sure," Kim replied. Hayley sat across from her and slid a mug across the table for her. "Oh... no thanks, I'm not really up for tea."

"Good, because it's hot chocolate, and I spiked it with Bailey's Irish Cream," Hayley quipped. "Whenever Tommy and I had rough days, we would finish the night off with one of these. During the Dinothunder days, that was almost every night."

"That bad, huh?"

"Training rangers is a lot harder than being a ranger," Hayley replied. "At least, that's what Tommy said. Then again, not every ranger could be you or Jason." Kim nodded as she took a sip of the hot beverage. The flavor was comforting, but it was the kick of alcohol that made her eyes go wide.

"I think you more than spiked it," she replied, trying to hold back a cough.

"I figured you could use a stiffer drink tonight. I know I need one. But, if you want, I could add some more cocoa and water..."

"No... you figured rightly. I just... I need to get used to it." She sipped again, this time bracing herself for the sting, which she was now aptly prepared for. "I can see why you guys would drink this, it's tasty and helps take the edge of a bad day."

"Exactly," Hayley replied.

"Can I ask you a weird question, Hayley?"

"It probably won't be weird, but sure."

"How are you feeling about all this?" The question caught Hayley off-guard.

"I'm used to being the one offering support, not receiving it," she replied.

"Well, then let me help you receive some," she replied. "Because I have been given it in ample supply."

"I guess... Tommy's been in trouble before," she replied. "All the stuff with Anton Mercer, then he had to deal with an evil white ranger, got stuck in amber, got stuck in his ranger suit, was in a coma..."

"Wait... Tommy was in a coma?"

"Long story," Hayley replied. "All the time I've known Tommy he has been resilient. I'm frustrated that he's gone and we have no idea where he is, but I'm not giving up hope." Hayley paused for a moment, and then sighed. "I just wish we could be out of this mess by now. I thought the whole amber, ranger suit, coma thing was the last extended period of trauma and uncertainty."

"How long was that going on?" Kim asked.

"Months," Hayley replied. "It was one of the hardest seasons of my life. Tommy often needed my help, but I had never seen him so helpless before."

"What do you mean?" Kim inquired.

"It's one thing to struggle with organic chemistry. Another to help your friend cope with the fact that he just created a mutated species hellbent on plunging the earth back into the age of the dinosaurs. But in all of those, there was a path forward with him. But with him being semi-incapacitated..."

"He didn't just need help to move forward... he couldn't do anything to help himself," Kim finished the thought.

"I remember when I saw him on the gurney, wondering if he was going to make it..." Suddenly, tears began to flow. The usually stoic red-head became a puddle, thinking about how the man she had helped and guided from the beginning of college to now had almost lost his life on her watch.

"But we got him back," Kim replied, placing her hand on Hayley's shoulder. "And we're going to get him back again."

"How can you be so sure?" Hayley asked while wiping her eyes.

"Because Sebastian wants me," she answered. "Tommy won't die until he gets what he wants. And I'm confident that Morgan, Jason, and the rest of the Angel Grove Police Department is going to stop this whole operation once and for all. Or, at the very least, help the FBI to do it."

"I'm glad you have confidence in us, Kim," Jason's voice interrupted the pair. He and Morgan stood together in the kitchen across from where they were seated. "But, to get him back, we're going to need anything you can think of in regards to him."

"Any details, patterns, or anything else that you can think of, it can help us catch him?" Morgan asked.

"He would have taken Tommy somewhere where his main base of operations is," Kim replied. "When he operated down in Miami, he owned an old warehouse that he used as a front for all that he did. I think it might have been a warehouse that manufactured and shipped gymnastics equipment."

"That would make sense, considering his Dad's connection to the sport," Morgan replied.

"You said that he would target college campuses?" Jason asked.

"That was one of his targets," Kim replied. "We came here on the west coast..."

"What is it?" Hayley asked.

"Northern California," Kim replied. "He didn't want to operate in L.A., it was too high profile and he thought it might difficult to stay hidden there. But near Oakland, San Francisco, and those cities?"

"It would fit his M.O.," Morgan added. "Stanford, Cal Berkeley, there's a lot of high profile campuses up there, with surging athletic programs." Jason pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

"Davis? I need you to give me a list of warehouses that deal in gymnastics equipment in Northern California. All right, thanks." He hung up and looked back at the group. "We're going to see what we can find, hopefully we get a hit and we can go from there."

"Anything else you can tell us?" Morgan asked Kim.

"It might be good to interview athletes, especially football and basketball players," she replied. "They are the sports that bring in the most revenue, so the coaches tend to be more morally flexible."

"The coaches?" Hayley asked.

"Depending on the coach, they use anything and everything to recruit a player," Kim explained. "Outside boosters will provide cash, alcohol, drugs, and sometimes prostitutes. They want to show them a good time to bring them to their team."

"I'll call our contact person over at the FBI, and then we'll all go and set up some interviews with the players," Morgan suggested.

"What about us being on house arrest?" Hayley asked.

"The rules have changed," Morgan replied. "They have Tommy, and there's no telling how much that impacts our security here. And it wouldn't be helpful to leave you three alone here. We can assign a security detail to you while we go upstate."

"I'll call the station to go through all the protocols," Jason added. The pair walked out of the room, Jason going back into his bedroom while Morgan stepped out of the apartment, into the hallway of the dojo. Hayley stood up, but Kim grabbed her arm.

"Wait..." Kim pleaded. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. "This is yours."

"I don't understand," Hayley replied quizzically.

"The first morning I was with you in your apartment, I saw a twenty dollar bill on your bathroom sink. I stole it."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Hayley asked.

"Because, in the wise words of Dr. Thomas Oliver, it's time that I stop living like an orphan stuck in her shame. Not when I've been shown so much grace." Hayley smiled and received the bill back, and then stepped around the table to embrace the embattled woman.

"Let's go get the wise doctor back."

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!**

 **\- Googz333**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I'm bringing in a couple more characters from the world of Criminal Minds. Mainly because I'm awful at coming up with original characters, so I figured I'd borrow from a world I've all ready crossed into a bit.**

 **Grace Alone - Chapter 9**

*Flashback*

 _It was the first time she had ever been arrested. For years, she perfectly evaded the authorities. She knew the consequences. After release, there would be 'discipline,' and almost certain death if you talked at all about the operation. She had been careful. She studied to make sure that the men she solicited weren't cops. Or, if they were, that they weren't clean._

 _Nine and a half years went by, but her caution slowly faded. Maybe it was due to how jaded she had become by her life. Kim never suspected that following her dreams would result in her becoming a high-level prostitute or a drug dealer. Yet that's who she became. And now, she was paying the consequences._

 _She entered the police station, knowing that what had just happened likely sealed her demise. She sat down in the interrogation room, looking similar to the cop shows that she had seen on TV. The mirror on the opposite side of the room, knowing that people were behind it looking at her. Much like in her prostitution, she felt exposed for the whole world to see._

 _In her mind, her only hope was that they wouldn't be able to identify her. When she sold herself to Sebastian's operation, they painfully removed her fingerprints, and hacked in to remove any other identifying marks. They made sure that, if she was caught, the only way they would know who she is if she talked. If she could convince Sebastian that they know nothing about her, then she would be safe. Well, at least safe from losing her life. Then again, what life did she really have?_

 _The door opened across from her and in came one of her arresting officers. "Miss, my name is Detective Derek Morgan, I work with the Reefside Police Department."_

 _She heard the man across from her, but she stared right through him. She determined to not talk, regardless of what he said, or what he did._

" _What's your name?" He asked. No answer came. She remained stoic, but Morgan had seen this before, the same look of determined will in many other women. He knew she had a secret to protect. Not out of pleasure or joy, but out of fear. "Miss... I can't help you if you don't tell me your name."_

" _I'm no one," Kim replied._

" _That's what the person who uses you says, doesn't he?" Morgan challenged. The question caught Kimberly off-guard. "But that's not true. You were created uniquely, and you have unique value. Whoever diminishes your worth by selling your body for profit is a coward, and he's not worth your time."_

 _It was a compelling statement, but Kim had heard those before. She knew the truth. "I'm no one," she repeated. "I'm out here on my own, these are my choices, and mine alone. This is who I am."_

" _If that's true, are you ready to spend years locked up in a jail cell?"_

" _If that's what I deserve," Kim replied._

 _*_ Present Day – Palo Alto, CA*

"I still remember the first time I met you," Morgan said aloud. Kim had dozed off on their car ride to Palo Alto, but his words stirred her from her light slumber. They rode together, while Jason, Katherine, and Hayley drove behind them. The pair of vehicles were accompanied by two other squad cars, each with two police officers to help protect them all.

"I'd imagine it wasn't the most flattering first impression," she replied, stifling a yawn that came as she began to speak.

"Most first impressions aren't, at least when you work as a police officer," he replied. "You looked like anyone else in your position would look."

"And how was that?"

"Fearful, no confidence, you firmly believed that you were a nobody," Morgan replied.

"Gee, glad you put that out there," Kim retorted. Morgan snorted at the response.

"That statement alone tells me that the mood has changed," he replied.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked.

"You had absolutely no confidence, and you didn't believe you were anything to anyone. You believed you had no value. But now... the very assertion that I might be mocking you, which I'm not by the way, gets your back up. Now, part of that is you want to defend yourself. You're afraid that I might still have that perception of you, which might confirm your fears: that you are no one. That you have no value. But you're also fighting because there's part of you that knows that the you locked up months ago isn't the you now."

"Do you psycho-analyze everyone you meet, or just former criminals?" She quipped, the question prompting a grin from the detective.

"It's part of my training," Morgan replied. "All I'm saying is you're a different person now. And that you are _**someone**_."

"And who am I?" Kim asked.

"Someone who's brave," He replied. "Brave enough to see their own flaws and sins, but also brave enough to face their abusers." They drove for a little while longer, until they made it to the main parking lot at Stanford University. "We're here." The other car pulled in beside them, and then they wandered over to a large trailer at the other end of the parking lot. They knocked on the door, and after a few moments, out came one man, with dark brown hair wearing a suit, and one woman with blonde hair worn in a ponytail.

"You must be Derek Morgan?" The man said, extending his hand.

"I am," he said, returning the handshake.

"I'm special agent Aaron Hotchner, and this is Jennifer Jareau, she helps us handle the media side of things," the man replied.

"Hotchner?" Morgan asked. "Aren't you the guy that keeps calling me about the..."

"BAU. Yes, that's me."

"What's the BAU?" Kim asked.

"Behavioral Analysis Unit," Jareau replied. "You must be Kimberly. I hear that you've been through hell."

"She has," Jason replied from behind them.

"This is Lt. Jason Lee Scott from the Angel Grove Police Department, his wife Katherine, and their friend Hayley."

"Why bring them with you?" Hotchner asked.

"Schmidt had us on lockdown for quite a while, and we thought if we left them in our previous location, it would give them easy access to more hostages. We figured it'd be best to bring them here, and help provide some protection."

"We can get local PD to help with that, but we might have to wait a few hours," Hotchner replied. "I want to make sure that we make as little fuss as possible, we don't want to alert anyone to the idea that something is going on. JJ, can you call the local authorities and have them send a couple of cars."

"Can do," she replied. "Should I also notify the campus police service?"

"Not yet," Hotchner replied. "As I said before, we want to be careful. From what Morgan told us, we don't want to attract attention. It's fairly common for local PD to do a patrol at the campus. We can figure out their normal rounds schedule, and it will be pretty quiet. But if we tip off campus safety, it could go through all sorts of internal channels, we don't want athletes or other students to be on high alert."

"How exactly are we going to keep it from the rest of campus that two FBI agents and a couple of out of town cops are interviewing athletes?" Jason asked.

"We're not going to be able to keep it silent for long," Morgan added. "Stanford is more academically inclined than a place like University of Miami, but their high profile athletes will still attract attention."

"Then we'll just have to factor that into our time window," Hotchner replied. "Kim, I want you to come with me and Detective Morgan. We'll keep you safe, and you can help us identify anything peculiar that might be helpful in our investigation. Lieutenant Scott, stay here with Jareau and help her coordinate with the media and other potential issues that might jeopardize the mission."

"Will do," Jason replied. "You be careful out there, ok?" Kim saw Jason's concerned look as he asked the question to her, and returned a small smile, with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"I will," she replied. "You take care of your wife and Hayley."

The trio left and made their way to the athletic center, which was on the south side of campus. It was a long walk, and the California sun beat down hard on them, sweat beginning to stain their brows as they approached the massive center. It sat between the basketball arena and the football stadium, both of which were impressive sights to see.

"You'd think with the size of these buildings, Stanford has an NFL team and an NBA team," Morgan said.

"All the fanfare, and more corruption," Kim replied. "It's a rough world in amateur sports. When you can't pay your athletes, you attract them with women and drugs."

"I'm sorry," Hotchner replied. "Eyes up." He opened the door to the complex, and they walked to the front desk, where a young woman sat at the receptionist desk.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm Special Agent Aaron Hotchner with the FBI, I need to talk with your athletic director."

"Oh... yes, right away," she stammered.

"Miss... please, whatever you do, don't share that we are here with anyone," he added.

"Yessir," she replied, picking up the phone and getting on the line.

*Undisclosed Location*

Tommy sat handcuffed in a makeshift cell, his wrist fastened to a steel railing that was adjoined to a wall. He rested on a concrete floor, feeling the cold from the surface through his pants. He was now shirtless, with cuts and gashes that covered his torso. The fresh pain of his wounds from his recent torture continued to make their impression on him, the desire for relief became stronger with each waking moment.

"You know, if you just told us where Kimberly is, you could walk out a free man," The calculating voice of Sebastian interrupted his thoughts. "You could treat your wounds, move around..."

"If you think I'm giving up that easy..."

"Right," Sebastian interrupted. "The leader of the power rangers, the valient and the brave. So heroic." At this point, Sebastian appeared in front of Tommy, on the other side of the cell that imprisoned the former power ranger. "Where do you think your pink princess ran off too?"

"Ha, gave you the slip, huh?" Tommy chuckled.

"For every minute she out there, it's another minute that you're in here. Do you really want to go another round with my friend Raul?"

"Is that his name?" Tommy gritted his teeth through his pain. "I'll have to say thank you."

"You can drop the tough guy act, Dr. Oliver," Sebastian grinned. "Raul is the best at what he does. Even the most difficult of people, he breaks. Soon enough you'll give me everything I need to know. We'll find Kimberly, we'll eliminate her, and we'll go on, business as usual. What you need to ask yourself is, will you be alive when this is all over?" He walked away at that point, leaving Tommy to himself.

"I'm dead anyway unless Jason and the others find me," Tommy sighed. He sat up against the wall, next to the rail that he was chained too. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to forget the pains that continued to plague him. It didn't help that his energy was sapped, his eyes felt heavier each second that went by. His head nodded, but then as he started to doze off, his body jerked awake. He noticed a fresh pain in his wrist, probably from the cuff cutting into it. He gazed over at it, but in doing so he began to well up with hope. The bottom of the railing had budged ever so slightly. He jerked his arm towards him, and as he suspected, the nails that held the railing in place became looser. He peered over beyond the bars of his cell to see if anyone was close by, and no one was there, so he continued to pull at his chains, and after a minute or so, he was able to break the railing from the wall. He slipped the cuff around the rail and freed himself.

At that moment, he heard footsteps coming towards him. He scurried to the other side of the cell, which was out of view of the approaching man, no doubt it was his torturer to come for more information.

"What the..." Raul gasped. He quickly opened the cell, seeking to investigate the seemingly empty cell, only to find a surprise as he entered.

"Ki-yah!" A kick to the back of his head propelled the torturer into the steel rail, his skull crashing into it, knocking him out cold. The bloodied Dr. Oliver looked out into the main corridor to make sure no one saw him, and then leaned over to grab the keys from his assailants belt. Once he had those, he crept out of his cell and around the corner, hopeful to make it out and find a way to end Kimberly's nightmare once and for all.

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!**

 **\- Googz333**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I apologize for how long this took to get up. Life has gotten really busy, which has slowed down my writing capacity. I hope to finish soon. Thanks for sticking with me.**

 **Grace Alone - Chapter 10**

Tommy found himself at the edge of the room that he had been tortured in. It was the same room in which he had been tied up before. He peered around the corner of the hall, making sure the coast was clear, and then zeroed in on a door across the room. Light peered through its cracks, and Tommy wondered if that door led to the outside world. He took a breath, and looked down at his bare feet, which all ready felt rough from all of his movement without shoes. He hadn't bothered finding his clothes, so all he had on were his slacks, fastened by his belt.

He crept out to the middle of the room, starting to feel relief that he might make his way out, only to hear a loud bang. It was gunfire, and he knew he would have to make a run for it.

"He's escaping!" One of the armed henchmen screamed. Two more appeared behind him, the men were on Tommy's left. Tommy sprang towards the door, running to make his getaway. He reached the door, flung it wide open and found himself welcomed by a blinding sun. He had no time to get his bearings, running half-blind, fairly unaware of where he was going. He had to use his ears, as he heard more armed men coming toward him and firing rounds.

His sight slowly returned to him, and he recognized a warehouse to his left, and beyond it a chain link fence that surrounded the whole compound. He ducked around the other side of the warehouse, hoping he could find a way to surprise his attackers.

Seven men, heavily armed, made their way to the massive building, and turned the corner to where they expected Tommy to be, only to be mystified by his disappearance. One of them grabbed his radio and spoke into it. "We've lost him."

"Lost him!?" A voice on the other end, clearly Sebastian's. "What do you mean you lost him!?"

"He's gotta be somewhere in our facility," the man replied. "Don't worry sir, we'll find him."

"I expect quick results," Sebastian demanded. "Give me a status report in ten minutes."

Tommy listened in from above, where he had snuck up a fire escape and snuck through an open window. He crept away from the outside and made his way to the door, and he cracked it and peered through it to see if anyone was coming. The coast was clear, so he travelled through the upper floor, coming to a door. He opened it slowly and peered through it, only to be shocked at what he saw. It had to be a dozen women, ranging from their late teens to their early thirties. Though they were poorly dressed, they work marks of abuse and neglect, and they were all huddled in this small room, with blankets, pillows, and a measly sink and mirror. They looked at Tommy, fear in their eyes. Their bodies shook. It was the same as when he had first saw Kimberly in the police station. Shame. Guilt. Fear.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Tommy whispered. "I'm going to do everything in my power to help you. But I need your help." The ladies stayed silent at first, but then one of them, stepped forward. She was potentially the youngest of them all, with messy, long blonde hair. She wore an oversized t-shirt, very short shorts, and was sporting a black eye.

"What do you need?" She asked, with a faint trace of courage in her question.

"A distraction."

Five of the armed men roamed the bottom floor of the warehouse, while two stood watch outside of it. Suddenly, they heard a loud commotion from upstairs. The five rushed upstairs, and signaled on the radio for the other two to follow them. They made their way up the stairs and entered the same room with the twelve women, brandishing their weapons. The girls jumped once more, and the commotion continued until one of the men pointed his gun to the ceiling and fired a round.

"What the hell is going on!?" He demanded.

"Korah," the young woman pointed over to one of the older women of the group. "She got a perfume that none of the rest of us can use, and we think that's unfair. She's been able to attract more men that way..."

"Oh shut up!" The armed man shot back. "That's all this is about? The fact that one whore is getting more than you!? We've got better things to do than to deal with your complaints of why you aren't desirable." He looked with disgust at the women in his presence, and then looked back to the other henchmen. "Looks like this was a false alarm." They left, slamming the door.

"Jasmine, do you think he'll get help?" Korah, the accused woman, asked the younger woman who organized the distraction.

"I do."

As the henchmen left, they didn't see that beyond the warehouse, Tommy had climbed up the fence and was on his way into town.

*Palo Alto, CA*

Hotchner, Morgan, and Kimberly walked into the office of Stanford's athletic director, led by the receptionist. The room was empty at the moment, but the young woman assured them that they would meet him soon.

"You think this guy will help us out?" Morgan asked.

"Not if he's on the take," Kimberly blurted out. The statement caused Morgan to look at her with a raised eye-brow. "At Miami, it seemed like everyone was in on it."

"He may not help us willingly," Hotchner interjected. "But if he knows something, he'll help us."

Before anyone else could say anything, a tall, stocky, middle-aged man walked into the office. He was dressed in suit and tie, he had streaks of grey in his hair, clean cut and no facial hair. He had a couple of rings on his hand, undoubtedly championship rings of some sort.

"George Cooper, I'm the athletic director," the man replied, he extended his hand.

"Special Agent Aaron Hotchner," he said, shaking the man's hand. "This is Detective Derek Morgan with the Reefside Police Department, and this is Kimberly Hart."

"Kimberly Hart... that name sounds familiar," he said as he shook her hand. "Pan-Globals?"

"Yeah... how..."

"I have a daughter who got into gymnastics because of you," he replied. "We used to live in Angel Grove, you were a big deal you know. I was surprised that we didn't hear more from you after your big discovery."

"That's actually part of the reason why we're here," Morgan replied, his hand grazing Kim's back to briefly comfort her. "Do you know why you rarely heard from her?"

"I don't," Cooper replied. "What does it have to do with me?"

"Are you aware of what goes on in recruiting some of your star athletes?" Kim asked, accusatory in her tone. "Do you know what happened in Miami?"

"I remember hearing a lot about Miami," he replied. "I had just taken the job here when all of that was coming out. It was about 18 months ago or so. But it was a big deal, it changed a lot of our policies to make sure nothing like that could happen here, or anywhere else for that matter." The Athletic Director stopped for a moment, and then looked into the timid eyes of the petite woman in front of him. "What do you have to do with Miami? Why are you asking about our athletes?"

"I was one of the prostitutes that the Miami athletes used to have a good time," she replied with a biting tone.

"We think the man who orchestrated the prostitution and drug ring in Miami has relocated to the west coast," Hotchner interjected, though very calmly. "Much of Detective Morgan's analysis has led us here. We need to know if any of the athletes here have been in contact with any prostitutes, or if they've purchased any illegal drugs." Hotchner's statement sobered the Athletic Director. He took a moment to peer out his window, then took a deep breath and turned to the trio that stood on the other side of the room.

"We say ignorance is bliss too often," he replied. "There's a level of ignorance involved in my job. You know that things happen, but until it hits you in the face, you're content to not know what's going on." He sighed, then walked over to the side counter to pour himself a small glass of scotch. "Drink?" He asked, while holding the container of amber-colored liquid. They declined, and he put it down and picked up the glass and swirled it around before taking a small sip. "We have a record of athletes who have failed drug tests, I'll bring down our football and basketball coaches, you have full access to them to make sure that if something like Miami is happening here, to stop it dead in its tracks."

"Really?" Kim asked, hope filling her voice.

"Yes," he replied. It almost looked as if a tear was falling from his eye. "You have my full cooperation."

"Great," Hotchner replied. "Make sure that as we bring them down, do not raise any suspicion to the rest of campus. If this drug ring is here, we don't want to give them any idea that we're onto them here."

After their meeting, Cooper set up two meetings with his most high-profile coaches. After the meeting with Tim Ryan, the basketball coach was fairly benign, apart for his shock that he would be accused of anything like that due to his public profession of religious faith, head football coach Jack Harman strolled into the office. He was in his mid-forties, with graying hair. He was thin, you would have never suspected that he used to be former star quarterback in the NFL. He sat down with the athletic director and Detective Morgan, with Hotchner and Kimberly listening in from another location.

"What's this about, George?" Jack asked.

"This is Detective Derek Morgan with the Reefside Police Department," Cooper started, pointing to the esteemed officer on his right. "He is part of a joint investigation with the FBI."

"Aren't you a little far from home, Detective Morgan?" Jack asked.

"You could say that," Morgan replied smoothly. "To be fair, I've been on the run quite a bit lately. I'm protecting a girl who used to be part of a drug and prostitution ring. Her handler, for lack of a better term, didn't want her interfering with any future operations, so he's been doing all he can to take her out."

"That sounds awful, but what does that have to do with me?" The football coach asked.

"One of the things that she told us is that this guy's M.O. is to set up shop at big-time colleges. Get on the payroll by enticing recruits with call girls, drugs, and other stuff. He supplies a good time, it gets big-time athletes to commit to the university."

"Ok..." Harman started, giving a small, uncomfortable-sounding, chuckle. "So... what are you saying?"

"We're wondering if you've heard of anything?" Morgan asked, the coach's demeanor not lost on him. "Maybe an assistant who's been a star recruiter that never used to be? Any big-time stars that wouldn't have typically committed."

"I... I mean maybe Ryan Day, the quarterbacks coach, but other than that..."

"Didn't Jamie Reese commit to us out of the blue?" Cooper realized. "He was a five-star kid out of Georgia, had no ties to us..."

"Our academics really appealed to him..." Harman tried to explain, but Cooper interrupted.

"And Carlos Thompson, the receiver out of Alabama? Theo Wesson out of Texas? I don't follow recruiting all that much, but those guys were some of the most talented guys we pulled in school history. I remember the paper doing a piece on it."

"You were their primary recruiter, weren't you Coach Harman?" Morgan asked. The coach's face fell, and he looked down at the ground for a moment.

"Do you have any idea the pressure we're under?" He asked, garnering zero sympathy. "Two years of one win seasons, missed bowl games, and a new athletic director to report to? That's a recipe for a firing if I ever heard one. So yeah... one of our boosters... he said he could hook up my boys. He knew someone who could help them have a good time. I..."

Before he could finish explaining, Kimberly burst in the room, seething at the coach's admission. "Give them a good time?" She replied. "Give them a good time?! Do you have any idea what you're job security cost countless women? Do you!?" Before she could say anything else, Hotchner arrived and stopped her from saying anything else.

"He'll have plenty of time to answer for what he's done," the FBI agent said calmly.

"What I've done? Look pal, I put Stanford Football back on the map, I won us our first conference title in two decades, and some stupid hookers aren't going to keep me from what I deserve."

"You're right, Jack," Cooper interjected. "No one is going to keep you from what you deserve. You're fired."

"What? You can't..."

"Jack, stop while you're ahead," Cooper replied.

"Listen," Hotchner interjected. "If you cooperate with us, connect us with some of the players that have used these services, we can work out a deal. But if you don't, I'll make sure myself that you are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. That won't just be you barred from coaching football, that will be incarceration, and a lot of it. So think over your next words and actions very carefully."

"George, is there away to get those players here so we can ask them a few questions without anyone knowing?" Morgan asked.

"It might be difficult, but I'll see what I can do," Cooper replied.

"George, don't do this!" Carman pleaded. "You do this, all of the success we've had will be reversed. Those kids futures will be ruined. Don't..."

"Those kids made a choice, and they must deal with consequences," Cooper shot back. "Jack, look at this young woman in front of you," he pleaded, pointing towards Kimberly. "You sought to advance your career, and the careers of those players, at the expense of someone else's future. We owe it to the victims to get to the bottom of this. And if that means our players miss some time on the field, then so be it. But we must face up to our actions. And hopefully, in doing so we will save the lives and dignity of others."

The Athletic Director finished his statement, and then coordinated with Morgan and Hotchner to bring in the players in question, but only after they grilled the head football coach for more information. In turned out that there were a number of other players in contact with this booster, and there was also a contact inside the athletic program that helped swap out dirty drug samples for clean ones. This was deeper than any of them, even Kim, had imagined.

Nearly a dozen players walked into the Athletic Director's office, each one admitting their use of drugs and prostitutes at least once during their tenure, all through the booster that Coach Carman had admitted to using.

Kim listened in, story after story of these men who had no idea the damage they had done to these women. After a while, she couldn't listen any more, sobbing as she thought about all of the pain that she had gone through, and how countless others were subjected to it in the name of "recruiting" and "having a good time."

"How could these men... how could they..." she said to herself, sobbing and gasping in wonder of how they could think that this was ok. She heard a door open behind her and she quickly wiped her eyes. She turned to find Jason standing in the doorway.

"Morgan thought it might be helpful for you to have me here," he said.

"What about Kat and Hayley?"

"They're fine," Jason replied. "Agent Jareau and I had someone drive them to the police station. They arrived twenty minutes ago, and they have a number of officers there around the clock until this thing is over." Kim's shoulders began to loosen, the pressure of her friends being hunted down alongside her had clearly had an affect on her. "You doing ok?" Jason walked closer towards her, keeping enough distance to let her feel the space she needed.

"I just don't understand... how could these players... how could a coach... how..."

"How could anyone use and abuse someone else for their own gain?"

"I don't know, Kimmie," Jason replied, his face filled with sadness both for his dear friend and for the women she felt for. Silence reigned for a moment, before he continued. "But there's a part of me that has sympathy for them."

"What makes you say that?" Kim asked, shocked by his admission.

"I've been in this long enough to know that the things I bust people for, I feel the same evil inside of me," he replied.

"Jason, you're one of the good guys," Kim replied.

"It doesn't take away the things I've thought, or the things I've felt. There are days when I put people away... I feel like I'm looking at a mirror instead of looking through a window. The only thing that's different is that I haven't chosen to act on those things."

"And why is that?" She asked.

"The grace of God?" He replied, garnering a skeptical look from his friend. "Look, all I'm saying is I can sympathize with them, I'm not excusing them. Justice must come, and it will." After a few moments of silence, Kim broke it with a hopeful question.

"Any word on Tommy?" She asked.

"Negative," Jason replied.

"Oh..."

"We'll get him back Kimmie," Jason replied, welcoming her into a big hug.

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!

\- Googz333


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Grace Alone**

Katherine, Hayley, and Agent Jareau sat in the back of the FBI van for what felt like an eternity. Jason had left them for a spell, mainly to check in on Kim since he heard they were conducting interviews.

"Any word on when we can get moved to a location with a bit more space?" Hayley asked, her tone bit with a slight annoyance.

"We're working with local law enforcement on that," Jareau replied. "Look," she started turning towards the pair. "I know this hasn't been easy. And I know the back of a van on a hot, stuffy day isn't exactly high-class accomodations. But our job is to keep you off the grid and move you in the safest way possible.

"We know," Kat replied. "We trust you, and we're grateful."

"It'll be nice when we catch Schmidt and this is all over with," Hayley added. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and saw an unlisted number come up.

"Don't..." Jareau tried to stop her, but she picked up the phone just as she tried to stop her.

"Hello?" Hayley asked.

"Am I happy to hear your voice."

"Tommy!?" Hayley screamed.

"The guy that was captured?" Jareau asked, to which Kat gave a thumbs up.

"Where are you?" Hayley asked.

"I'm not sure," Tommy replied. "They took me to some compound out near Fremont. I'm in a gift shop attached to a truck stop right now, they're letting me use their private line."

"Where's Fremont?" Hayley asked Agent Jareau.

"It's about twenty minutes from here," she replied.

"You think we could get to him in time?" Kat asked.

"That could be dangerous," Jareau warned. "What if they beat us to him?"

"It's a chance I'm willing to take," Hayley replied, and then turned her attention back to the phone.

"Look Tommy, we're coming to get you, what's the name..."

"Hayley, wait!" Jareau stopped her. Hayley's eyes pierced a proverbial hole through Jareau.

"Hold on one second, Tommy." She set the phone down, and then looked into Jareau's eyes. "Look, I get that it's your job to protect us. But Tommy's on the phone right now, ready to give us his location to save him. And I'll be damned if you keep us from getting to him. So, you can either drive us there in this van, or I'm getting out and getting into one of the cars we came in, unprotected. Your choice."

"You don't get to make that decision," Jareau challenged. "I get that you care for your friend, but let me get local law enfo..."

"The same policemen that are taking hours to find us two-star accomodations?" Hayley shot back.

"Look, Agent Jareau, would it be possible to swing by where Jason went to and pick him up?" Kat asked, reasonable in her tone. "This way we'd have more adequate protection, and we can hopefully get to Tommy before Sebastian can find him." Jareau smirked for a moment, and then held her radio up to her mouth.

"Hotch, we have a location for Dr. Oliver, we need Lt. Scott to come with us to retrieve him."

"What about the other witnesses?" Hotch asked over the radio.

"They're coming with me," she replied.

"Are you sure about this?" Hotch asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"I think it's the best way to get to him on time," she replied, looking at Hayley and Kat intently as she said it.

"Ok, I'll have Jason meet you out by the front door," he replied. "We have to assume that soon word will break out that we've been meeting here at the University, and that in turn will make its way out to Schmidt."

"What do we do then?" Jareau asked.

"Hopefully, we see them coming and we arrest them," Hotch replied. "Be here in five."

Jareau drove the van over to the athletics facility, picking Jason up. He got into the front seat and strapped himself in. "Word is you found Tommy?"

"He called Hayley," Kat replied from the back.

"Let's get moving then," Jason replied. "Where we going?

"Fremont," Jareau replied.

*Fremont, CA – Jerry's Gift Shop and Boutique*

Tommy hung up the phone and wondered over to the front desk, where he met the owner of the store behind the front counter. The walls were lined with toys, postcards, and other touristy type things. The gift shop was attached to a truck stop with some gas pumps, and while the gas station portion was large, the actual parking lot didn't have much to it. Tommy gazed out the window for a moment, looking to see if his captors were far behind, and then after a moment he turned to the man behind the counter.

"Thanks for letting me use the phone... and for letting me have the clothing," Tommy mentioned as he placed a 'Stanford' baseball cap on his head. He also wore a beige shirt that said 'I love California,' and had a pair of low quality flip-flops on his feet.

"No problem," The man, undoubtedly Jerry, replied. He was middle-aged, balding, but was in decent shape and had a bit of a ponytail in the back, along with some facial hair. "Sounds like you've been through hell."

"You don't know the half of it," Tommy replied. He looked up to see out the picture window a couple of black SUV's that rolled up into the small parking lot. "That's them. Is there a back exit?" He asked as he noticed Sebastian's goons get out of the car, not exactly hiding the fact that they were armed.

"Go through to the truck stop, head to the restrooms. There's a door that leads to the back of the building."

"Thanks," he replied, and turned to run. Just as he cleared the gift shop part of the establishment, three of the Sebastian's men entered through the door.

"Can I help yo..." Before Jerry could say a word, the gunman shot him dead. The shot was fired with a silencer, so no one had been alerted to their presence.

"No witnesses," the gunman whispered to his wingmen. "Take out the security cameras, remove the body, find the target, take him out."

Tommy sneakily moved past the few people in the truck stop, and found himself in the hallway that led to the restrooms, where he found the door that Jerry had been talking about. He cracked it open slowly, making sure no one was waiting for him behind it. It was seemingly unguarded, so he opened it further and slithered outside, but not before one of the gunmen saw him from inside.

"He's here!" He yelled, unloading ammunition at his target. Tommy looked both ways, considering what would be his best course of action. He could run and hope he could slip his assailants, or he could wait for his attacker to come through the door and subdue him, and then go on the offensive. But how many were there? He counted three, but there were two SUVs. They wouldn't have brought two vehicles...

His thoughts were interrupted by the door swinging open, and on instinct, Tommy kicked the door back, crunching the attacker in the doorway. Tommy saw the gun slightly outside the doorframe, and he kicked it away from the man. The gunman quickly gathered himself and dove for his weapon, but Tommy beat him to it. He was wrestled to the ground, struggling to have the weapon, when Tommy, who was pinned down, was able to point the gun into the man's chest and pulled the trigger. Blood began to spill from the man's mouth, his body went rigid, and Tommy thrust the assailant to the ground.

He picked himself up and ran as best as he could, stained by blood on his flesh and shirt. A few seconds later, the others burst through the door to find their comrade down on the concrete, dead. Tommy peered around the corner to see the two others kneeling beside him, and then saw him pull out his radio.

"Come to the back of the building at once," Tommy heard him say. "Mueller is dead. Target is still alive."

Tommy slid the flip flops off his feet, knowing full well that they would make enough noise to alert them to his location, and he snuck around the building, trying to think of where he could go to evade his pursuers. He looked over to see a large semi fueling up, and he briefly considered running towards it. But as he listened he could hear the pair of gunmen coming his way, and that would be a fruitless endeavor. However, as he glanced over, he saw that was another door that led back inside. He gently pulled the handle of the door, only to find it was locked. He pulled the gun that he took off the assailant and shot at the lock, again with a silencer, and he then pulled the door and gently shut it, just before the other gunmen could see him.

He found himself in a large freezer that stored the made to order food of the truck stop, and he used the deadbolt that hadn't been used, to keep the assailants at bay for the time being. He wandered through the cold space, his feet very quickly feeling the affects of the extreme temperatures.

"I won't be able to stay in here for long," he expressed aloud. "I've got to warn Hayley and Katherine about what they are walking into." He sat down and picked his feet up, trying to avoid touching his bare feet to the freezing cold floor. He closed his eyes and sat in peace for a few minutes, only being jostled back to reality when the outside door was being shot at.

"Open up!" The gunman screamed. "We know you're in there!" Tommy moved towards away from the door, hoping to find his way back into the main part of the truck stop. He found his way into the convenience store part, where he saw two more armed men searching, weapons drawn. He crouched down behind a couple of the aisles that contained various bags of chips, beef jerky, and candy bars, and used the aisle as a divider between him and his captors. He drew his gun and pulled out the clip, revealing he had four bullets.

"Great," Tommy muttered under his breath. "One for each of the bad guys. What I wouldn't give for a blade blaster right about now." He moved slowly to get better position, when he heard the front door open. The other men entered, four of them all searching for him. Tommy looked over behind the counter of the convenience portion of the building, only to find that the woman working the counter had been killed, along with the two customers who were there beforehand. Tommy took a deep, but silent, breath, and considered his options. He knew if he didn't act, they would find him and kill him. But if he did act, he only had four shots. Even if he could get one or two of them, there was no guarantee he could get another one of their weapons before they got to him.

Tommy looked up at the glass that sheltered the refrigerated items, and saw a very faint reflection of the four men. He grabbed a couple of the individual bags of chips and a candy bar, and while the four were looking over towards the freezer, he threw them behind the counter of the dead man.

The four pointed their weapons to where they heard the sound. Two of them started to make their way over, the others trailing them. Tommy took the opportunity to fire at the men trailing, using three shots to hit the pair. The others pointed and fired, missing as Tommy stayed low. One of the men was dead, while the other reached for his weapon, gasping for air. Tommy used his last bullet to kill him, and then quickly grabbed his weapon and hid himself as best as he could.

The remaining gunmen began to make their way back to Tommy, aiming their guns. Tommy knew he would have to make his shots count, and they'd have to be quick.

The gunmen however fell to the ground as loud, unsilenced shots rang through the air. Tommy looked to find Jason and agent Jareau, who had shot through the windows, entering inside.

"We're clear," Jareau replied.

"Tommy!" Jason shouted, running to his long-time friend. They embraced, Tommy had a tear in his eye.

"Thanks, bro."

"Don't mention it," Jason added. "Just, next time, listen to us when we tell you that something is a bad idea," he chided him.

"Where's Kim? Is she safe?"

"She's with Morgan and the FBI. We can get you up to speed. Do you know where Sebastian is?"

"There's a compound, probably about three to five miles from here, due west. Dude, it's sad. Women that had probably been trafficked and coerced for years are huddled in a room there."

"We'll rescue them," Jason replied. "First, we need to get you back to Stanford."

"Stanford?"

"Long story short, we found out that Sebastian was using the football team as a way to operate his business. We can fill you in more as we get you back there." They made their way back to the van, Tommy and Agent Jareau exchanging pleasantries. He opened the door to find Kat and Hayley, the latter of whom jumped up and gave Tommy a hug.

"You gave us all a big scare, Tommy," Hayley whispered. "I was afraid you might have..."

"Hey... I'm back, like always," he reassured her. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."

"That's what I'm here for," she grinned.

*Stanford University – Athletic Center*

A tall, slender, dark-skinned young man walked out of the facility in a rush. He pulled out his phone out of his jeans and dialed a number.

"Yes?" A voice on the other line said.

"This is Carlos Thompson, I'm one of the players you supplied..."

"We had an arrangement," the voice replied. "No communication except through boosters."

"I know, but I'm spooked. You said we wouldn't get caught, right?"

"You won't get caught if you follow directions, which you're clearly not..."

"The FBI is here, along with some girl helping them ID folks. Are they here for us?" The voice on the other line didn't speak for a while. "Sir?"

"What's her name?"

"Hell if I know..."

"Don't worry Carlos... everything will be all right." He hung up, Carlos confused as the line cut off. Back at the compound, Sebastian Schmidt closed his phone, and looked at his remaining men. "We're going to Stanford to tie up a loose end."

To be continued...

Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!

\- Googz333


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note: This is the conclusion of the story. I hope you enjoyed this story. I apologize it took so long to get to the end of it, but I hope it blesses you.**_

 **Grace Alone - Chapter 12**

Athletic Director George Cooper sat in his office with Agent Hotchner, Detective Morgan, and Kimberly somberly. His program allowed a coach to utilize a drug and prostitution ring to essentially buy players so they could become competitive again. "Kimberly, I'm so sorry that I helped this man do this to you, and to all the other women who have been trafficked."

"Look, I don't blame you," Kimberly empathized. "Sebastian is intelligent. It's not like he gave Coach Carman a blinking light telling everyone of all his illegal activity."

"Still... it's amazing what sin can do unchecked," Cooper sighed. "When this is all over, the football program, and maybe even the athletic department, might feel the wrath of the NCAA. Student athletes will be suspended or banned from competition, coaches will be fired. I might not have a job when this is all said and done."

"Sir, we'll do everything we can to keep that from happening," Agent Hotchner replied, but Cooper scoffed.

"You don't understand, big time athletics ditch any threat to their publicity," he replied. "Honestly, if I have to go to protect the women who were abused by this madman, I'm willing to do it. I'm just amazed by how big of a mess this all is. Players, the players families, coaches, their families... the women and others involved against their will."

"Look, I know it's tempting to feel guilt here," Morgan stepped in. "But what you're doing now is putting a stop to the corruption. It sucks that women like Kimberly got sucked into this. It's awful that you had a corrupt coach on your staff, and that some of your players chose to partake in this. But you are doing the right thing now, and that's going to save a lot of lives, and it's going to help us bring Sebastian to justice."

"Not only that, but you doing this helps restore my soul in ways I never thought possible," Kim added.

"How is that, dear?" Cooper asked.

"For a long time I've lived in fear, as someone else's property," Kim replied. "For the first time in ten years, I don't have to live that way anymore." Her eye glistened, a tear threatening to fall.

It was at that moment that Agent Hotchner's phone rang. "Excuse me," he said, pulling the phone from his pocket and standing to move towards the doorway. "You're on your way back? Good work JJ. See you back at the Athletic Office. We'll coordinate from here next steps." He hung up and moved back towards the others. "Good news, they found Tommy, and he has a pretty good recollection of where the compound is that Schmidt was working out of."

"Is he..."

"Tommy is ok, minus a few bruises and scratches," Hotchner replied. Morgan smiled, seeing the woman who had transformed right in front of him over the past few weeks continue to regain both her confidence and her love for life. He also knew a lot of that came from the man who they had just rescued.

"Any word on Schmidt?" Morgan asked, hopeful that Tommy being rescued would yield the opportunity to go after the ringleader.

"They think they have a lead on where his base of operations is," Hotchner replied. "They are going to come back here, and then we'll coordinate with local law enforcement to go and take them down. We're going to need all the help we can get. When they found Tommy, he was pinned down by a team of trained assassins. Jason and Agent Jareau were able to subdue the attackers, but the fact remains that Sebastian will likely have other help."

"Don't you think we might lose him if we wait?" Morgan asked. "I mean, if his men are dead chasing Tommy, you'd have to think that at some point he'll realize that and split, right?"

"Yes, that is a risk we may have to take," Hotchner replied.

"Not that my opinion counts for much, but I agree with Aaron," Kim added. "As much as I want this whole ordeal to be over with, Sebastian will be well armed and well protected. Even if they were able to subdue four or five attackers, he has many more at his disposal. Going after him without help is a mistake."

"I appreciate your insight," Morgan replied. "We'll go along with your thought then Hotch... you don't mind me calling you that, do you?" Hotchner grinned.

"That's what my teammates call me," he replied.

"Umm... do you think..." Kim spoke tentatively.

"What's wrong?" Morgan asked.

"Nothing... I..." she started to chew on her bottom lip. "Would it be ok if I called Tommy?" The pair of men grinned.

"Yes, let me call Jareau back and have her put him on," Hotchner said. He initiated the call and briefly shared the request with his teammate, and then handed the phone to Kimberly.

"I'm going to take this in another room," she replied.

"Don't go too far," Morgan yelled out as she left the room. Kimberly found an empty office that overlooked the football stadium, and sat down at a table, and took a couple of deep breaths before she spoke.

"Tommy?"

"Hey Beautiful," his voice warmly greeted her, she was amazed at how it affected her. Sweet memories and emotions stirred her heart, and relief came, alleviating what felt like a hundred pound weight off her shoulders.

"You haven't called me that in ages," she replied, a little blush coming to her cheeks.

"Well, we haven't really been a 'thing' in ages either..." Tommy started.

"Are we really going to have this conversation right after I found out you've been rescued?" She teased.

"No... I just figured after the past few days, or how ever long I was held captive here, I just don't want to hide how I feel." She could tell there was a big grin that came with those words. She also heard a round of snickers in the background.

"You couldn't get somewhere private for this conversation, could you?"

"Nope, Jason's practically in my lap." She chuckled at the odd visual.

"We do have a lot to talk about," she replied. "But... first, I'm glad you're ok. You had us worried. You had _**me**_ worried."

"It was worth it to take you out, you know," Tommy mentioned.

"And that's the second thing I want to talk to you about," Kim continued. "You... drew near to me even after I treated you terribly. I know some of the things I did were due to my own abuse... but I did treat you terribly. Even when you tried to help, I wanted to push you away. Thanks for drawing near while I was frail. When I was in pain. When I felt no beauty within me. You loved me anyway, and it's because of that that I'm healing. Thank you."

"Kim... I love you. Even if I'm not the one to be with you, I will always love you, and I will always want what's best for you."

"Let's talk about that when you get back," Kim replied.

"Which part?" He questioned.

"The, 'are we together or not?'"

"Sounds good," Tommy smiled wide as he considered her request. "I should probably get off, just in case Agent Jareau needs to use her phone. We'll be back soon, Kimberly."

"See you soon." She sighed as she hung up. It was such a different feeling, having hope. Feeling loved. "He called me 'Beautiful,'" she said aloud. "He actually called me that..." She lingered as she considered just how joyful it made her. The man that she had loved for so long, the man that she thought she had to let go... the man she thought would have been repulsed by her and her actions... he called her beautiful.

Grace met her in ways that she never expected... and she was radically moved in ways she couldn't understand. A smile couldn't be erased from her face, and the peppy bounce in her step couldn't be taken away. She went back to the room where Agent Hotchner and Detective Morgan had been, abounding into a room that was suddenly silent.

"What's going on, guys? You both look like someone just kicked your dog."

"We have a problem," Hotchner replied. "Cooper was just informed that players had been inquiring as to why they were being questioned. One of the players noted that someone Carman implicated went outside to make a phone call. They believe it was to someone within the drug ring." Kim's eyes went wide.

"He'll come here."

"How can you be sure?" Morgan asked.

"When Sebastian feels threatened, he goes on the offensive. I've never seen someone get as close to him as you all have, but we need to assume that he's going to bring the fight to us."

"We'll need to coordinate with campus safety to make sure that security is tightened," Hotchner replied. "I want Sebastian Schmidt's face and profile on everyone's desks, from officers, to administrators, professors, residential advisors... if they have some sort of position on campus, they need to know that he's coming."

"Do we really want to widen the net like that?" Morgan asked.

"Based on the profile, not only will Schmidt go on the offensive, but when threatened, he escalates," Hotchner replied. "His intentions are for Kimberly, yes, but based on how they went after Tommy, he's not concerned about avoiding collateral damage." He turned towards Kimberly. "We should get you out of here, now."

"No," Kim replied. "I've been running for far too long. Today I stand my ground."

"Look, Kimberly, there's no doubt that you are a brave woman," Morgan pleaded. "But this is a time to run."

"What about Tommy and the others?"

"We'll warn them and make sure..." Before Hotchner could finish, Cooper burst into his office. "Is everything ok?"

"Jack Carman is dead," he replied. "Shot twice in the chest, once in the head, all while being detained in his office."

"What about the security detail that was with him?"

"Dead."

"He's all ready here," Morgan replied.

"How?" Kim asked.

"There's no telling when that student-athlete called him. The compound isn't too far from here. The reality is he's here, in this building, and he's after you," he said, pointing to Kim. "Cooper, I want you to call campus safety, tell them what's going on. I'll cover you, and give you a description of the man we're looking for. Morgan... take Kimberly with you, get her out of here."

"Sure thing, Hotch," Morgan replied.

"And Morgan... don't be surprised if he has others with him," Hotchner replied. "Keep your eyes open."

The pair left and found a stairwell in the back of the building and made their way down to the lobby. Morgan looked up to make sure no one was trailing them, and then slowly opened the door to see if anyone was there. No one was, and so he motioned Kimberly to follow him. They were shocked to see that the lobby of the building was deserted. The receptionist was no where to be found, and the rest of the security team had deserted the lobby as well.

"What do we do?" Kim whispered.

"I don't know," Morgan replied. They crept along the side wall of the lobby, hoping to have a clue of what they should do. Suddenly, an elevator chimed. "Stay behind me." He walked slowly towards the elevator behind the receptionist's desk, Kimberly close behind. They stood right in front of it, waiting for the doors to open. They finally gave way, but no one was there. He walked a bit further, right in front of the elevator doors, when he heard something behind him.

"Be careful what you do next, Detective," a voice slithered behind him. "One wrong move and I snap her neck." He turned to find Sebastian, his arm wrapped around Kimberly's neck with a gun pointed at his head.

"Kimberly..."

"No use talking to her, Detective. Here's what you'll do. Get in the elevator, and go up. You follow us, she dies. You come back down, she dies. Understand?"

Morgan looked away, not wanting to give in to this monster's demands.

"Do you understand!?" He shouted angrily. He started to enter the elevator and pushed one of the buttons to bring him upstairs.

"We will find you, Kim..." he said as the doors closed on him, the elevator bringing him up a few floors.

Kimberly tried to move, but Schmidt held his gun to Kimberly's head, his other arm around her neck. "If you continue to resist me and my instructions, my dear, I'll have no choice but to kill you here and now. You can either die here, or follow me. Come back your old life. Never speak of this again."

"No... I can't go back," she struggled to get out.

"Such a pity, to be so beautiful and yet to die." Before he could fire a shot, she bravely stamped on the inside of his toes, and she ran. She ran as fast as she could. She knew it probably wouldn't save her life, but she had to try. She heard the shot ring, and expected it to hit her, but the bullet never pierced her. She turned around, however, when she heard a thud. She looked over to find Tommy sprawled to the ground. He had jumped in the way of the bullet, saving her life.

"No..." She trembled. Sebastian readied his gun for a second shot, but it never came. Multiple shots fired from Jason, who had followed Tommy into the building. He ran over to the wounded man, and kicked his gun away from him.

"It's over," Jason said, standing over the bloodied villain. He held his gun pointed at him, while pulling his radio with his other hand. "We need medical attention, now!"

"Don't leave me Tommy," Kim pleaded as she helped to roll him on his back. "Where did it hit you?"

"My shoulder..." he struggled to say. Blood stained his lips, clearly from internal bleeding. At that point, Morgan, who also had Cooper and Hotchner with him, stood over the injured hero.

"Stay with us, Tommy," Morgan said. "An ambulance is coming for you, just hang on."

*Three Days Later – Palo Alto Police Station*

Kim sat across her abuser and, for the first time, didn't sit powerless. Sebastian was restrained. Now he was the one exposed for all to see. Kimberly was the one confronting him, not the other way around.

"Come here to gloat, my dear?" Sebastian asked.

"No... I wanted to come and see you one last time. Before they put you away for good."

"Why is that?" He asked. "Want me to see the pain I've caused you. Want me to feel sorry for you? I'm not. My legacy will continue. And you'll live with the scars forever. And I don't regret a thing. So while you grieve the loss of a past love, I'll bide my time. My lawyers will get me out of this, and then... well, let's just say, things will go back to the way they were." Kim let out a slight chuckle at his assertions. "You find this amusing?"

"I do," Kim replied, smirking. "Tommy survived. Your compound, investigated. The women who you kept as your 'employees?' Freed. Your henchmen? In custody. And the case against you is so severe, that even if your lawyers can help you, the best help you can get is at least 20 years. And even then, I doubt they can help you. Justice is coming, Sebastian."

"Then you've won then, my little crane," Sebastian mocked.

"No... no this isn't about winning and losing."

"Then what's it about?"

"I hope one day, you understand that what you did was wrong. I hope one day, you turn away from all the horrific things you've done. But even if you don't, I'm confident that justice will come. And because of that, I'm free."

"Freed for what?"

"Forgiveness. I forgive you Sebastian. And I hope... somehow... I hope you can change because of that." She stood up and went to walk out the door, before Sebastian cackled.

"You really believe that? I don't want or need your forgiveness."

"I didn't think I needed it either. But it's called Grace. Unmerited favor. Maybe that will help you as you're locked up in your cell, day after day, pondering the atrocities you committed." Kim stood up and began to exit. However she stopped, and turned around. "I hope you find peace."

Kim checked in with Morgan and Hotchner as she left, thanking them one last time for all their help.

"Thanks for all your help, Detective," Kim added as she headed towards the door.

"It's Special Agent Derek Morgan, now," Morgan grinned. "I guess the BAU got to me after all."

"They're lucky to have you," she replied with a small smile. She walked out the door and made her way to the Stanford Medical Center, where she took an elevator to the third floor. She walked into Tommy's room, where there were cards, balloons, and other get well items. One of the things she placed by his nightstand was a picture of them when they had dated in high school. She was on his shoulders, smiles as wide as could be.

Tommy's eyes began to flutter open, and he looked over to find Kimberly there.

"I hope I didn't wake you," she said.

"I was only resting my eyes," he said. "I knew it was you, anyway. I can smell your perfume." She sat down beside his bed, placing her hand on his arm.

"Where are Jason, Kat, and Hayley?" She asked.

"Went out for a bite to eat," Tommy answered. "They said they were going to bring me back something, but they've been gone for quite some time. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm going to eat much anyway."

"Oh... do you want me to get you something?"

"No... I want you right where you are," Tommy grinned.

"You know... you saved my life in more ways than you know," Kim said. "You chose to draw near to me when I was at my worst. And then you took a bullet for me after you had been tortured. All of this after the horrible ways that I've treated you. I can't ever repay that debt to you."

"I've all ready paid that cost in my mind," Tommy replied. "And it's worth it. It was worth diving in front of that bullet, just like it was worth it for me to come to the police station that first time."

"Why?"

"Because I made a choice," Tommy shared. "I choose to love you, even when it's hard, even when it's inconvenient, even on your worst days. Even if it means I must suffer pain and hardship, I choose to love you. I want to see you soar, Kim. I want to..."

Before he could continue, Kimberly leaned over, her lips met his, and they kissed once more, breaking apart only when her hand brushed up against his bullet wound.

"Ow!" He winced.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry..."

"It's ok, Beautiful. I choose to love you even when you aren't careful with bullet wounds." The pair chuckled.

"It's a kodak moment," Jason's voice penetrated the room. They looked to find him, Katherine, and Hayley there smiling at the pair.

"Can always count on you ruining the mood, Jase," Tommy quipped.

"That's what brothers are for," he quipped back. "We can leave you guys be, we'll be outside eating." As they left, Hayley looked at Tommy for a long while, finally giving a very obvious wink to him.

"Hayley really cares about you," Kim replied.

"Yes she does," Tommy replied. "She's a good friend." He paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on Hayley as she walked out of the room. As she left, he continued. "Look, speaking of friendship..."

"Yes..."

"In your letter, you said we'd always be friends. I'd like to ask you revise that statement."

"And how would you like to be revised?"

"Boyfriend and girlfriend, with the potential for husband and wife in the future."

"You know... I think I'd like that." She giggled as she leaned down for another kiss. A moment that seemed near impossible ten years prior. Her life had been stripped away. She had been used and abused, and was devastated by the sins committed against her, hurting others in the process. But grace given by the one she hurt the most not only redeemed their relationship, it restored her in ways she never thought possible. Not by her efforts. Not by anything she had done. But by grace. Grace alone.

" _I was an orphan lost at the fall  
Running away when I'd hear your call  
But Father, you worked your will_

 _I had no righteousness of my own  
I had no right to draw near your throne  
But Father, you loved me still_

 _And in love before you laid the world's foundation  
You predestined to adopt me as your own  
You have raised me up so high above my station  
I'm a child of God by grace and grace alone_

 _You left your home to seek out the lost  
You knew the great and terrible cost  
But Jesus, your face was set_

 _I worked my fingers down to the bone  
Nothing I did could ever atone  
But Jesus, you paid my debt_

 _By your blood I have redemption and salvation  
Lord, you died that I might reap what you have sown  
And you rose that I might be a new creation  
I am born again by grace and grace alone." – Dustin Kensrue, Grace Alone_

 **THE END**

 _Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!_

 _\- Googz333_


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